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Although Roger Williams is a new name to me he has apparently
been a part of the New England bluegrass scene for a long time,
having broken into the business playing Dobro at age fifteen with
the Lilly Brothers and Don Stover at Boston's Hillbilly Ranch.
Heavy credentials in anybody's book.
For this album, his first solo effort, he's assembled a roster
of capable pickers and I haven't heard of any of them either.
But one of the things that makes doing this job interesting is
learning about a whole bunch of folks
who were previously unknown to me. Not only can I now say I've
heard them, I can be on the lookout for them on other recordings
or in live appearances. Ray Legere is a young Canadian mandolin
player who plays
seemingly impossible passages with ease. Likewise Dave Dick, the
principal banjoist here, plays with a confidence and certainty
that belies his youth. The rest of the team-Jim Muller and Herman
McGee on guitars, Sharon Horovich on bass and Bob Goddu on banjo
in a couple of spots provide support that is always sensitive
and tasteful.
Roger Williams is a Dobro player who seems to strive to combine
the best aspects of the work of musicians like Josh Graves, Mike
Auldridge and Jerry Douglas into his own style. He stays reasonably
straightforward with his playing and doesn't lead the listener
far out any experimental pathways. His playing is clean and articulate
with excellent intonation and
dynamics, areas where lesser folk frequently fall down. The material
ranges from a bluegrassy "Fireball" to a country-styled
"Crazy," instrumentals being the order of the day except
for a bit of vocalizing on "Papa Played the Dobro".
If there is a criticism at all about this album
it would be one that is common to many instrumental sets, that
they seldom have enough variety to keep a listener's interest
through to the end. But that's a small concern considering the
overall quality of the music;
besides, you can always just play part of it at a time.
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