Jerry Douglas Albums (12)
What The Critics Say
Jerry Douglas is probably the most famous dobro player in the world, which might sound like damning with faint praise, except that he's also one of the most in-demand session musicians in the world, period, as well as a constantly sought-after producer, and the man John Fogerty describes as "my favorite musician, and I'm including Otis Redding and Elvis in that." Although he remains attached to his bluegrass roots, his playing expanded far beyond the strictures of that genre decades ago, and his latest solo album demonstrates the degree to which he has both thoroughly digested and transcended the formulae that gave him his start. On "Bounce," which opens the album, you'd almost swear that there was a Scruggs-style banjo being picked in the background, but in fact it's Douglas himself playing arpeggiated counterpoint to mandolinist Sam Bush; on "Marriage Made in Hollywood" he takes a wonderful story-song by Paul Brady and Michael O'Keefe, beefs it up with a modern country arrangement and invites Travis Tritt to sing. "Sway Sur la Route Royale" is a gentle, New Orleans-style funeral march, and his rendition of the classic banjo showcase "Home Sweet Home" is a dream-team project featuring Earl Scruggs and guitarist Tony Rice in a trio arrangement with Douglas. The danger with this kind of stuff is always that when boundaries are disregarded, too often the musical conception starts to get fuzzy around the edges and then it dissipates into a pleasant cloud of sound. Douglas flirts with that tendency on one or two tracks, but for the most part he retains a sharp focus; not only is every track played with the virtuosity that now seems to flow from his hands almost without conscious intent, but almost every track is brilliant on its own terms and makes a coherent musical argument. Highly recommended. ~ Rick Anderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
"She Makes Me Want to Sing," the opening track on Jerry Douglass's Best Kept Secret is nothing short of a shock to the system. For starters, Douglass's trademark dobro sound isn't present until nearly a minute in. Second there are twin dirty slide guitars by Keith Sewell and Derek Trucks' (Allman Brothers Band) wailing atop of a fat, fat ugly, nasty bass. It's a hard nasty boogie jam that could be on a Canned Heat album. Whoa. Some sanity returns as Sam Bush and Bela Fleck trade fours with Douglas on "Whose Your Uncle, where progressive stomping bluegrass breakdown takes back the order of the day. But the surprises just continue to mount as Allison Krauss takes the vocal chair on the electric funk jam "Back In Love Again." But it goes off the rails when Douglas and band cover Joe Zawinul's (Weather Report) beautiful ballad "A Remark You made. With Jerry playing the saxophone line on his dobro. It's gorgeous and off-kilter, added to with great depth and sensitivity by Derek Jones' bassline. Other guests on this wild set include Bill Frisell on "Lil Roro" and John Fogerty playing and singing on "Swing Blues No. 1." But it's more than just guests, Douglass's tunes' are in stunning form here, particularly the title track and "U R My Flower." In sum, this will surely piss some people off, but should turn the heads of many others in his direction. Adventure and reckless abandon are the order of the day here and best Kept Secret doesn't disappoint. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Jerry Douglas sure can play the dobro. As the world's undisputed premier dobro player, Douglas has played with just about everybody. And, as would befit somebody with that kind of distinction, his playing is utterly virtuosic. The only question left, then, is what he wants to do with it. On Lookout for Hope, Douglas' fifth release for Sugar Hill, Douglas delivers up his usual newgrass, accompanied by some of the usual newgrass heavyweights, including Sam Bush, Stuart Duncan, and Jeff Coffin. Maura O'Connell, James Taylor, and Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio turn in appearances as well. Douglas tries to do a lot. "Patrick Meets the Brickbats and "Cave Bop," for example, show off his lightning-fast playing. They are dazzling displays, but ultimately none too satisfying. Douglas does far better in milking the slow, bittersweet tones of the instrument, such as he does on a cover of Duane Allman's "Little Martha." The ten-minute title track (and album centerpiece), penned by jazz guitarist Bill Frisell, is most intriguing, combining Middle Eastern-sounding scales (such as on David Grisman's "Arabia" opus) with resonant and percussive acoustic sounds. As the master of the instrument, Douglas can do pretty much whatever he wants. Lookout for Hope does not find him resting on his laurels. Instead, he explores a variety of settings and moods, all bound together with the distinctive sound of his instrument. ~ Jesse Jarnow, All Music Guide
'Restless on the Farm'
Release Date 5/19/1998
Tracks 11
Label Sugar Hill
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Dobro master Jerry Douglas steps out of his usual sideman's role (he has appeared on over 1,000 albums) on this excellent solo effort. He shows off his instrumental virtuosity and versatility on a mix of bluegrass, hard country, jazz (covering an old Erroll Garner tune), blues, and even traditional Irish music. Guest vocalists include Maura O'Connell, Tim O'Brien, John Cowan and Steve Earle, who offers a gritty reading of Johnny Cash's "Don't Take your Guns to Town." Among the standout instrumentalists joining Douglas are Bela Fleck, Sam Bush and Sonny Landreth, who delivers some remarkable work on metal-body dobro. ~ Joel Roberts, All Music Guide
'Skip, Hop & Wobble'
Release Date 10/26/1993
Tracks 11
Label Sugar Hill
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
This excellent 1993 Sugar Hill CD features three of the top artists playing newgrass today. Entirely instrumental, entirely enjoyable, the tracks on this CD run the gamut of musical expression from the humorous play of "Why Don't You Go Back to the Woods" to the slow, beautiful "Hymn to Ordinary Motion." The liner notes discuss the creative process around each song, as well as the group's union, and the challenges and rewards of playing as a trio. Sam Bush does a couple of very nice guest spots on mandolin. If you are tired of the musical simplicity and inane lyrics of much of today's music, this CD cleanses the palate. ~ Jeff Crooke, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
On Slide Rule, Jerry Douglas moves away from the jazz experiments of Plant Early, returning to the straightforward bluegrass of his early work. The result is a stunner, featuring not only a remarkable performance from Douglas, but also from an impressive list of guest musicians, including Alison Krauss, Sam Bush, Maura O'Connell, Stuart Duncan, and Tim O'Brien. ~ Thom Owens, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
A smoother sound, which has become his trademark with Strength in Numbers. Featuring Sam Bush, Bela Fleck, the Whites, Mark Shatz, and Russ Barenberg. ~ Chip Renner, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Though all of his releases are dobro tour-de-forces, this is a highly sophisticated ensemble album with some of the best players in the new- acoustic realm, including Mark O'Connor, Russ Barenberg, Bela Fleck, and Sam Bush. With seven of the ten tracks written by Douglas, the album is also a tribute to his inventive compositional style. ~ Linda Kohanov, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Jerry Douglas was only 22 at the time he made his debut recording as a leader, on an album featuring a cast full of other rising stars. A masterful dobro player who not only respects his roots in bluegrass, Douglas, like guitarist Tony Rice, mandolinist and fiddler Ricky Skaggs, and violinist Darol Anger, also breaks new ground on his instrument. "Fluxology" is a marvelous original, with the leader trading off solos with Skaggs (on mandolin), Rice, Anger, and bassist Todd Phillips. "Bill Cheatham" is traditional bluegrass fare, played with honesty and spirit, with Skaggs doubling on fiddle and mandolin as well as banjo player Jack Hicks. Not many bluegrass musicians borrow from the Burt Bacharach songbook, but "Say a Little Prayer" ends up working very well within the genre. He signs off this Rounder LP with a lovely miniature ballad, "Blues for Vickie." ~ Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Douglas explores jazz-country fusion on Plant Early. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
