FEATURE LESSON: BEPPE GAMBETTA
The Italian guitarist shows his new cross-picking technique and delves into the poetry of flatpicking. With video examples. [More]

FEATURE: NEXT GENERATION FINGERSTYLE
Andy McKee, Thomas Leeb, and Antoine Dufour are creating new audiences for fingerstyle guitar by taking advantage of the Internet and playing pop-oriented cover tunes with jaw-dropping chops. [More]

PRIVATE LESSON: STEPHEN BENNETT
The harp-guitar wizard discusses melodic inspiration, bass grooves, and the simple beauty of a partially capoed guitar. With audio. [More]

FEATURED: SEVEN NEW DREADNOUGHTS
The state of the world's most popular acoustic guitar style is strong, as this review of seven dreads from $350 to $4,000 reveals. With video. [More]

NEW GEAR REVIEW: HUSS AND DALTON FS
Beautifully crafted fusion of body styles results in a fingerstyle guitar with superior dynamic range and responsiveness. With video. [More]

NEW GEAR REVIEW: GENZ BENZ SHENANDOAH PRO LT
Gig-ready versatility and ease of use in an amplifier that delivers forgiving performance and tons of tone. With video. [More]

JACKSON BROWNE: Solo Acoustic Vol. 2
Even among some diehard Jackson Browne fans, the opinion holds that the boyish bard of LA folk-rock did his best work in the 1970s. Solo Acoustic Vol. 1, with its greatest-hits-dominated program drawn heavily from beloved 30-or-more-year-old albums, bolstered that view. Vol. 2, however, makes a strong case for Browne's writing from 1982's "Somebody's Baby" (from the Fast Times at Ridgemont High soundtrack) to 2002's "The Night Inside Me," "Casino Nation," and "Never Stop" from the last studio album, The Naked Ride Home. The stripped-down setting of Browne's 2005 tour—just him, a grand piano, and a huge arsenal of acoustic guitars (mostly Gibsons and a couple of Martins)—allows the wordplay and melodies of such songs as "Enough of the Night," "Sky Blue and Black," "Alive in the World," and "All Good Things" (from such albums as World in Motion, I'm Alive, and Looking East) to reveal their own sturdy and beguiling qualities alongside the better-known "Redneck Friend," "Something Fine," and "In the Shape of a Heart." Browne's voice is flexible and virtually ageless, and his fluid, amply accomplished fingerpicking and strumming take full advantage of his fine guitars' rich sonorities in a variety of tunings. The between-song patter would be nice to program out after a couple of listens, but it does show that this sometimes seemingly self-absorbed artist can make light of himself and his obsessions. (Inside Recordings, insiderecordings.com)
—DERK RICHARDSON

TIM O'BRIEN: Chameleon
Alt-grass legend Tim O'Brien is known for his striking voice and string legerdemain, from Hot Rize to subsequent combos. Here, fresh after 2005's Cornbread Nation and Fiddler's Green (which won the 2006 Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Album), O'Brien takes a solo turn. He morphs from guitarist to fiddler—he also plays bouzouki, banjo, and mandolin—tossing off licks so effortlessly it's downright scary. But that surface mutability rests on a core of authenticity. O'Brien marries contemporary, often slyly political, lyrics to traditional styles, like the old-time "Phantom Phone Call" ("The mobile phone is a threat to the human race . . . up by your head it's bad for your brain, in your pocket it's a sperm-count drain") and the Woody Guthrie homage, "This World Was Made for Everyone." Other songs sound as traditional as they come, such as the gorgeous "Safe in Your Arms," its high-lonesome a cappella verse set off by plaintive fiddle. Guitarists will be especially struck by how seamlessly O'Brien melds his vocals with virtuoso breaks and accompaniment that ranges from bluesy progressions to bluegrass breakdowns to scat-like counterpoint. Chameleon shows O'Brien at his peerless best, an equal to any of the greats that have inspired him. (Proper American Recordings, properamerican.com)
—CÉLINE KEATING

RORY BLOCK TEACHES THE GUITAR OF ROBERT JOHNSON—DVD 2, Exploring the Repertoire
Rory Block's intensity and passion for the music of Robert Johnson come through loud and clear on her second instructional DVD on the subject. She chooses three songs ("Cross Road Blues," "Ramblin' on My Mind," and "Hellhound on My Trail"), all in different tunings, two with slide and one without, and dissects them in great detail. The split-screen format gives viewers a good look at both hands, and she shows several right-hand strumming and picking techniques that really give a lot of drive to the rhythms. (The complexity of these right-hand techniques means the DVD is most appropriate for intermediate to advanced players.) Block goes through each song section by section, points out the variations Johnson includes in each verse, and covers some of his signature intros and turnarounds. She also shares stories of her meetings with Johnson's son and grandson and of her immersion in his music, which began in her teenage years. One tip she gives for getting the music right is to pray for the spirit of Robert Johnson to come to you and guide you in your efforts. It certainly seems to have worked for her! Recommended. (DVD; Homespun, homespuntapes.com)
—ORVILLE JOHNSON

For more CD reviews, go to acousticguitar.com/playlist.

OCTOBER 2008: Interview with John Hiatt; Tony McManus lesson; reviews of the Schertler Pagelli and the Roland CD-2e; and music to Dolly Parton's country classic, "Jolene."

NOVEMBER 2008: Amos Lee talks about his new album; online guitar instruction programs; seven classic acoustic guitars; reviews of the Breedlove Pro and the Godin 5th Avenue; and music to Bo Diddley's "Bo Diddley" and Elliott Smith's "Between the Bars."

DECEMBER 2008: Gypsy jazz lesson with Robin Nolan; the great American guitar towns; reviews of the Alvarez-Yairi WY1TWR and the Crafter TMC035; and music to Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire," and an arrangement of "Blue Christmas"  by Alex De Grassi.

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