Sugar Hill Records has announced a June 3 release for The More I Learn, the next CD from flatpicking guitar virtuoso, Bryan Sutton.
As a follow-up to his highly successful 2014 album, Into My Own, the new project covers much of the same ground. Bryan is featured on lead vocals for a number of old timey songs performed in a Norman Blake vein, and as a red hot picker on a mix of fiddle tunes and his own new guitar compositions.
Sutton has made himself into a riveting acoustic entertainer by mingling hot picking with simple songs that are readily accessible to a varied audience. He had told us back in 2014 that touring with Hot Rize had taught him that if he wanted to be a solo artist he would have to develop himself as a singer. And that he certainly has done.
Another lesson from Hot Rize, where Bryan has found himself in the position of emulating the band’s late and long-time guitarist Charles Sawtelle, is the power of straightforward guitar playing, in the less complex styles of Maybelle Carter or Doc Watson. Charles’ playing consistently accentuated tone and simplicity over hot licks during his time with Hot Rize, and it always connected with audiences for its sincerity and humor.
The More I Learn sounds like a superb title for this upcoming project from a modern guitar master. We can all learn from this flatpicking wizard as we enjoy his music.
