Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Strength in Numbers – The Telluride Sessions [1989]


First, I’ll let the lineup speak for itself:

Sam Bush - fiddle/mandolin
Jerry Douglas – dobro
Bela Fleck - guitar/banjo
Edgar Meyer – bass
Mark O'Connor - fiddle/guitar/mandolin

Strength in Numbers was a one-off project for some of the most highly regarded current blue/newgrass musicians. Yet for all the star power, the music never feels like there are too many cooks in the kitchen.  In fact, save for a few somber numbers, the album is surprisingly breezy and relaxed, though the careful listener will quickly appreciate the firm structure beneath each track.  It’s a testament to the collaboration that for all the virtuosity on display, it never becomes overbearing, and individual ego seems to take a back seat to making good music.


01 - Future Man
02 - Texas Red
03 - Pink Flamingos
04 - Duke and Cookie
05 - One Winter's Night
06 - Macedonia
07 - The Lochs of Dread
08 - No Apologies
09 - Slopes
10 - Blue Men of the Sahara

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