FEATURE LESSON: TONY MCMANUS
The Celtic guitar master explains how he uses the ornamentation of traditional music to create an original solo guitar style. With video examples. [More]

FEATURE: JOHN HIATT
On Same Old Man, songwriting legend John Hiatt keeps his approach to music simple and direct. [More]

PRIVATE LESSON: JAMES NASH
The Waybacks guitarist discusses acoustic string bending and jamming on less-than-familiar chord changes. With video. [More]

FEATURE: DO IT YOURSELF SETUP
Keep your guitar in great playing shape, tailor it to your style, and save some cash by setting it up yourself. [More]

NEW GEAR REVIEW: SCHERTLER SB
Pickup specialists unite with luthier Claudio Pagelli to create a distinctively styled flattop. With video. [More]

NEW GEAR REVIEW: EPIPHONE PERFORMER ME
Shadow electronics help this cutaway grand concert serve up heaps of tone at a very sensible price. With video. [More]

NEW GEAR REVIEW: ROLAND CD-2e
Compact digital recorder and CD burner allows you to easily catch ideas and performances. With video. [More]

IMAGINATIONAL ANTHEM VOL. 3
The third installment in the Tompkins Square label's collection of compelling acoustic music spans time and genres with remarkable ease, meshing the strange with the sublime in a collection that never fails to inspire. From the psychedelic swirl that marks the fade of Greg Davis's "Sleep Architecture" to Matt Baldwin's short-and-sweet (and fluidly melodic) "Sean Cycle," Imaginational Anthem Vol. 3 sounds like a painstakingly compiled mix made by a discerning music expert with an encyclopedic knowledge of great acoustic music—and that's just what it is. Don't miss Steffen Basho-Junghans's 12-string (and 12-minute-plus) epic "Blue Mountain Raga II," George Stavis's banjo nugget "Goblins," or Shawn David McMillen's wistful and dreamy "Texarkana 1971." Be prepared to return to this compilation many times—if you ever leave at all. (Tompkins Square Records, tompkinssq.com)
—MARK SMITH

THE STEELDRIVERS, The SteelDrivers
"There's a place in a piney hollow / That no one but me can find," wails SteelDrivers lead vocalist Chris Stapleton at the outset of the group's eponymous album's opening track, "Blue Side of the Mountain," and from these first moments, it's clear that an in-depth exploration of life's darker currents has begun. Even in the more toe-tapping numbers (like "Drinkin' Dark Whiskey"), there is a resigned acceptance of one's own frailty and baser instincts. And in the more ponderous songs (such as "If It Hadn't Been for Love" and "Hear the Willow Cry"), Stapleton's anguished but irresistible voice conveys an almost defiant knowledge of his doomed destiny. The songs' themes lie squarely in the bluegrass-fatalism tradition of which the SteelDrivers are skilled, soulful proponents. Notably, none of the album's many tasty solos are rendered on guitar, that role performed artfully here by Richard Bailey on banjo, Mike Henderson on mandolin, or Tammy Rogers on fiddle. Stapleton's dreadnought nonetheless drives the ensemble (which also includes Mike Fleming on bass), as he delivers rhythm parts that alternate between churning locomotion and plaintive, light-touch strums. The SteelDrivers' first offering bodes well for those who love both top-notch musicianship and gritty, unflinching material. (Rounder, rounder.com)
—PHIL CATALFO

PEPPINO D'AGOSTINO, Made in Italy
Peppino D'Agostino's latest release pays tribute to his native Italy with a very personal collection of tunes from his childhood in Torino. D'Agostino is known for his fiery virtuoso fingerstyle technique, and the sound of his signature Seagull guitar is prominent throughout, lightly accompanied on many tracks by bass, drums, and other instruments. In a pleasant surprise, D'Agostino provides vocals in Italian on half of the tracks. English-language translations are provided in the liner notes, but many people will simply enjoy the sound and emotion conveyed by D'Agostino's voice. Guitarists will appreciate the way D'Agostino uses his sophisticated fingerstyle technique in an accompaniment setting, but there are also plenty of instrumental excursions, from the driving "Fiuda Bagadia," accompanied by traditional Italian percussion, to a dramatic solo version of Rossini's "La Dansa." Classical virtuoso Carlo Marchione joins D'Agostino on three compositions by Italian composer Ennio Morricone: the haunting "Gabriel's Oboe," the well-known theme from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, and "La Leggenda del Pianista sull'Oceano." The contrast between the steel- and nylon-string guitars creates a beautiful landscape of sound, and guitarists will appreciate the perfect interplay between the guitars. (Mesa Bluemoon/USA, peppinodagostino.com)
—DOUG YOUNG

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

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.

JANUARY 2009: Lesson feature with nylon-string wizard Earl Klugh; a history of Washburn Guitars; reviews of the Taylor GS12 and the Fishman Solo amp; and music to Townes Van Zandt's "White Freight Liner Blues" and the Everly Brothers' "Gone, Gone, Gone."

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