Sugarhill [Country]
1997
Stealing Second
About This Album
Chris Thile's second solo presentation -- he would have been 16 years old at the time -- is every bit as impressive as Leading Off, and even more accomplished. In fact, it shows the lad taking significant strides, especially compositionally, resulting in a work of considerable progression for the prodigiously gifted musician. Although technically it is, Stealing Second isn't really a bluegrass album, per se, but something much more exceptional. Rip-snortin' tunes like the title track and "Clear the Tracks" notwithstanding, the album has an overall serene, gossamer beauty. It often feels like a symphony written for traditional bluegrass instruments instead of an orchestra. You cannot listen to the hymn-like purity of "Kneel Before Him" or "Alderaanian Melody" without marveling at the compositional integrity in evidence. Thile manages to make intricately structured and sophisticated melodies sound whimsical and breezy but still complex, wistful, and full of depth. He writes weighty dirges and coquettish ballads, bluesy laments and innocent paeans, and touches on classical, jazz, and, especially, Celtic music in addition to the music's vaguely bluegrass foundation -- and he does it with effortless ease and confidence.
Track List (try tracks 3,5 and 11)

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