Search - Bryan Sutton :: Ready to Go

Unbelievable!

M. Basinger | 10/14/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I don't rate many albums with 5 stars. They have to really knock me for a loop and this album does the trick. A great mixture as stated by others of traditional bluegrass along with a beautiful rendition of Reinhardt and Grapelli's Minor Swing and Gershwins Lady Be Good. I also was very impressed with each of the vocal tracks which added a unique flavor to the collection of songs. The harmony of the Isaacs on The Water is Wide was worth the album alone."

Bryan's success not surprising to those who knew him when...

www.lastmilemission.com | Charlotte, NC | 09/25/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I went to Enka High School with Bryan, in Asheville,NC,and had the opportunity to perform with him on many occasions. The best moments, however were the impromptu sessions either before or after rehearsals, when purely improvising, Bryan would completely enrichen and illuminate with his accompaniment, whatever piece was being played. Absolutely the most phenomenal talent I have ever witnessed. I recall one day, shortly before graduation, Bryan and I were talking about what the future held. Bryan asked me, half-kiddng, if in the event I didn't do anything in music could he have my songs. My long since forgotten, painfully youthful, overwrought songs! I doubt he even remembers the conversation. I was absolutely flattered. Funny stuff. Of course my chosen path has taken me away from the music industry as a profession, but to no one's surprise, Bryan is enjoying the success few deserve and even less achieve. Let me assure you, Bryan's boundless talent is exceeded only by his genuine humility. Congratulations, Bryan, on your first solo album."

The Tarheel's Vamp

Lee Armstrong | Winterville, NC United States | 03/08/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Bryan Sutton blazes on the acoustic guitar. The different guitars played are lovingly displayed on the insert. Sutton who is from Asheville, North Carolina was part of Ricky Skaggs' Kentucky Thunder band. This CD is full of fast instrumentals like the opener, "Decision at Glady Fork." "Highland Rim," "Walk Among the Woods," "Grover's Glen," and the fast little reel "Tater Patch" all display similar dexterity. A pitfall for a CD with many instrumentals is that they may start to sound similar. For the most part, Sutton escapes this dilemma. Ricky Skaggs' mandolin and Aubrie Haynie's fiddle spark the bluegrass tune "Blue Night" with a guest vocal by Pat Enright of the Nashville Bluegrass Band. Bill Monroe's "Brown County Breakdown" is remade as a fast guitar romp with Haynie's blazing fiddle dueling with Sutton's guitar. Sutton also recasts a number of songs. From U2's "Rattle & Hum," he takes "When Love Comes to Town" and gives it an old-timey country feel. "Minor Swing" catches a bluegrass groove with Haynie's fiddle joining Sutton on guitar. Gospel singer Becky Isaacs Bowman does a stately folk vocal on the lovely "The Water Is Wide." Sutton played on Dolly Parton's "The Grass Is Blue"; she returns the favor with a passionate vocal on her song "Smoky Mountain Memories." George and Ira Gershwin's "Lady Be Good" is given a great treatment. The three tunes which honor his grandfather in "Chief's Medley" take you to a time in the North Carolina mountains when an 8 year old learned to play from watching his granddad. The CD closes with a stunning instrumental of just solo guitar, "The Good Deed." The wistful emotions Sutton wrenches from the guitar and tune are worth the price of the CD. If you've heard Sutton on The Dixie Chic's "Fly" CD or with Skaggs or Parton or are just looking for a strong acoustic guitar, this is one you'll want to take home!"