How to Grow a Woman From the Ground

 (31 customer reviews)

Think of all the bluegrass child prodigies that have crossed genres to create amazing music--Marty Stuart, Mark O'Connor, Ricky Skaggs, Alison Krauss. Now consider Chris Thile, who is on the verge of blowing them all away. This record is, perhaps, the finest "rock" album played on bluegrass instruments ever made. It's all here: impeccable musicianship, smart arrangements, bluegrass, jazz, a White Stripes tune, bla, bla, bla. This kid is growing fast, he has outgrown the grass, he has outgrown the wonderful Nickel Creek, there's no telling where he's gonna take this thing (Ornette Coleman?? Nicaraguan mountain music??) but I'd suggest you hop on right here and stay along for the ride.

To be blunt, I haven't particularly cared for Thile's recent, not-quite-successful synthesis of jazz, bluegrass, folk and alt/indie rock. I was excited to hear that Chris was trying to get back to his roots with this album, but am slightly disappointed with the net results. The reintroduction of the banjo, fiddle and upright bass, as well as the integration of more traditional tempos and melodies establishes that unmistakable bluegrass sound. However, this album lacks the grace and charm of Chris' work previous to the release of "Deciever". In my opinion, the drop in quality since "All Who Wander Are Not Lost" (NAWWAL) is due solely to Chris' new-found penchant for edgy, supposed-to-be deep lyricism. While the musicianship on this album is as good as it gets, and the song-craft is solid, I find that I find myself quickly annoyed with the psuedo-intellectual, self-involved tendencies embodied by the poetry. For whatever reason Chris has become enamored with the trendy "l'esprit"...Read more

Even with the offensive F-bomb, and a couple songs that are ever so slightly boring... even at the risk of giving a bigger head to a "lost himself in stardom" young star; I simply cannot give this album anything less than 5 stars. I've been listening to quite a few greats like Grisman and Marshall and though they certainly deserve heaps of props, I sincerely believe that Chris is simply the best mandolin player ever. Not only that, he has uncanny prowess for composition and improvisation, the likes of which are virtually unequalled.

Listening to his music, one can tell that Chris grew bored of traditional music boundaries fairly early in his career. His yearning to keep himself interested, combined with the usual follies of youth are clearly manifest in his most recent albums. It is difficult to participate as somebody fumbles around trying to find themselves; and Chris has had no qualms about sharing this tumultuous emotional journey with his listeners. The lyrics of...Read more