Album Review: Bryan Sutton, ‘From Roots to Branches, Vol. 1’
Whatever 10-time IBMA Guitar Player of the Year Bryan Sutton touches turns to gold. He’s a musical alchemist, spinning and weaving notes and chords into dazzling melodic gems. Sutton is an A-list Nashville studio player and a member of bluegrass band Hot Rize. His generosity and his genius are on full display on his new album, ‘From Roots to Branches, Vol. 1.’ With matches made in flatpickers’ heaven, this virtuosic collection of acoustic duets with some of the very best guitarists playing today also includes two previously unreleased tracks — one with Doc Watson, one with Tony Rice — which he recorded but didn’t include on ‘Not Too Far from the Tree.’
The rollicking “The Devil Went Down to Deep Gap” lifts the familiar Charlie Daniels’ fiddle tune “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” into a guitar duel between Sutton and Billy Strings, fueled by Sam Bush’s mandolin and Del McCoury’s vocals. Doc Watson becomes the protagonist in this version of the song, as “Arthel” outplays the Devil and thrash metal meets flatpicking in the song’s spiraling instrumental bridge. Ushered out of the dark night of the battle with the Devil, Strings and Sutton relax into transportive harmonic intervals before the song retreats into its frenetic closing tempo.
Sierra Hull lays down her mandolin and picks up her guitar as she and Sutton deliver lush layers of sound on the traditional classic “Grandfather’s Clock,” with each guitarist taking turns playing the melody lines as the other weaves contrapuntal harmonies around it.
Watson kicks off the duo’s version of Merle Haggard’s “Working Man Blues” by shouting out, “here’s one of my favorites.” Sutton blazes up and down the frets with fiery lead runs on the first and then on the third instrumental bridge; you can feel the joyful spirit of the two as they trade licks.
Guitar wizard Trey Hensley and Sutton spur each other on in their scampering version of Roger Miller’s “It Takes All Kinds To Make a World,” escalating into note for note call and response instrumental break.
Rice and Sutton team up for a lilting, gorgeous version of AP Carter’s “Storms Are on the Ocean,” while Sutton’s and Kenny Smith’s combination of cascading rhythms and crystalline picking dance merrily along on the shimmering jig “Three Star Hornpipe.” Bluegrass meets the blues on the scorching blues jazz of “Blue Night,” featuring Joe Bonamassa trading searing electric licks with Sutton’s blazing acoustic lead runs. The album closes with Cody Kilby and Sutton flying high on dueling guitars on the high-octane bluegrass scamper “Road to Columbus.”
Every song or tune on ‘From Roots to Branches, Vol. 1’ shines brightly, and the album showcases Sutton’s brilliance as a guitarist and arranger. Let’s hope that there is another volume of “roots and branches” in the works.
