The Tony Rice Unit - Devlin (1987/2019)

Newgrass guitarist Tony Rice's work for Rounder Records is showcased on the mesmerizing Devlin. Pulling the best new acoustic tracks from his 1980 album, Mar West, and 1981's Still Inside, this compilation highlights Rice's fluid playing and progressive composition as he is backed by players like Sam Bush, Mike Marshall, Todd Phillips, John Reischman, and others. Alternately warm and crisp, comforting and energizing, his startlingly clean playing twirls and waltzes with the other instruments one stepping out while another comes to the spotlight, often culminating in tightly locked passages with interwoven harmonies. These 15 instrumentals are lyrical without words, poetic without stanzas, and a brilliant glimpse into the soul of one of progressive bluegrass' most inventive players.