Not All Who Wander Are Lost

Set free from the bluegrass and folk conventions of Nickel Creek, Generation X's most prodigious mandolinist doesn't so much stretch out as explode. Yes, the barely legal Thile is surrounded by the most dominant players in acoustic music--Stuart Duncan, B©la Fleck, Edgar Meyer, Jerry Douglas, and Bryan Sutton--but this 12-song suite of "newgrass," Celtic, and old-timey instrumentals has Thile's searing stamp all over it. His lyrical, almost liquid style, even on the hottest seven-minute jams, accents melodic continuity over attack, intricate counterpoint over frenetic collision. And his compositions, as open-ended as post-bop jazz and as jiggy as a sweaty contra dance, inspire these genuinely great musicians to performances both refreshing and profound. --Roy Kasten