Jerry Douglas
Lookout for Hope

(Sugar Hill)

First Appeared at The Music Box, July 2002, Volume 9, #7

Written by John Metzger

While you might not recognize Jerry Douglas by name, you’ve undoubtedly heard his inimitable dobro style somewhere along the line. After all, his masterful technique has graced albums by just about everyone, including Garth Brooks, Béla Fleck, Steve Earle, Bill Frisell, David Grisman, Emmylou Harris, Jorma Kaukonen, Leftover Salmon, and countless others. Of course, he also regularly performs with Alison Krauss+Union Station and yes, that’s him underscoring several tracks on the Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? ;soundtrack. Despite all this, Douglas surprisingly has time for a solo career, and he recently released Lookout for Hope, his eleventh album (and his sixth for the Sugar Hill label). As one might expect, given Douglas’ pedigree, the disc tends to jump from one genre to the next, while stretching beyond the traditional boundaries of jazz, blues, bluegrass, and even Middle-Eastern formats. Douglas’ own performances are spectacular throughout the album, but some tracks inevitably fare better than others. His rendition of Duane Allman’s Little Martha is absolutely breathtaking, and the tender sorrow of Senia’s Lament courses through the strings of Douglas’ instrument. As for the title track (which was penned by Frisell), it’s the best of the bunch — a fusion of jazz and bluegrass that ranks with the best that the David Grisman Quintet has to offer. Here, Douglas is joined by mandolin players Sam Bush and Chris Thile as well as guitarists Bryan Sutton and Trey Anastasio, and together they serve up a delicious dish of spaced-out, groovy goodness.

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Ratings

1 Star:   Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!

Copyright © 2002 The Music Box