Bluegrass Guitar showcases Bryan Sutton at the moment he was establishing himself as the leading flatpicker of his generation, the heir to the Tony Rice lineage who had spent the 1990s as a sought-after Nashville session player. The album leans on the standard bluegrass-guitar repertoire — fiddle tunes, breakdowns, traditional material — treated as vehicles for the rhythmic precision and tonal control that have defined Sutton's playing throughout his career. The supporting cast draws on the Nashville bluegrass circle Sutton was already deeply embedded in, with sympathetic accompaniment from players whose names recur across two decades of major bluegrass and acoustic country recordings. Released on Sugar Hill during the label's peak as the home of progressive acoustic music, the album functions as both a survey of where bluegrass guitar stood at the turn of the century and a statement of Sutton's particular contribution to that lineage.
Tracklist
- 1 Hangman’s Reel Source Recording 3:03
- 2 Daley’s Reel Source Recording 3:15
- 3 Reuben Source Recording 2:54
- 4 The High Road Source Recording 3:32
- 5 Big Sandy River Source Recording 3:03
- 6 Back Up and Push Source Recording 3:27
- 7 Margaret's Waltz 4:50
- 8 Marvin Faulkner (Dialogue) 0:35
- 9 High Heel Shoe 3:10
- 10 Nelia's Dance 3:49
- 11 Whippersnapper 3:15
- 12 Roanoke alt version 2:13
- 13 Beaumont Rag alt version 3:16
- 14 The Storms are on the Ocean alt version 2:51