Far Away, Down On A Georgia Farm

One of folk and bluegrass music's greatest string players, Norman Blake can play just about anything with strings, be it guitar, fiddle, Dobro, banjo, or mandolin. Bob Dylan put Blake's talents to use on 1969's Nashville Skyline, and more recently Steve Earle called on his gifts when he made his great Train a Comin' album. Here Blake presents a typically low-key solo collection of bluegrass originals ("Whisky Deaf and Whiskey Blind") and rearranged covers (Alton Delmore's "Goin' Back to the Blue Ridge Mountains," Gussie L. Davis's "The Maple on the Hill"). His craggy voice sounds fine and his fingers are as fleet as ever. Guitar aficionados will appreciate the liner notes, which list new and vintage guitars that appear on Far Away. --Robert Baird