In their thirteen years of existence, the progressive supergroup Mr. Sun has only released four albums. This has not however diminished their vibrant, innovative spirit. The group’s latest release, The Idea Guys on Adhyâropa Records, is a collection of ten pieces, all but one written within the band.
The opening track, Oatmeal, by the group’s mandolinist Joe K. Walsh, gently eases us into this recording. Along with Walsh, Mr. Sun consists of Darol Anger on fiddle, Grant Gordy on guitar, and Aidan O’Donnell on bass.
Shiva is the sole non-original presented here. Written by David Surrette and sung by Walsh, it brings a really dynamic delivery to the one vocal-oriented selection on this project.
Rocksteadygrass by Darol Anger presents a clear picture of the group’s melding of ideas from bluegrass and jazz, while Road Mode by Grant Gordy is a fun piece that goes into some intriguing directions. Anger and Walsh in particular show just how well the fiddle and the mandolin play off of each other on these two tracks.
Sloshing In The Rain by Anger provides an excellent example of the band’s unique, rhythmic groove. This is one of those performances where everyone is not only precise and accurate on their instruments, but are completely locked in with each other, making for a true unified sound.
There couldn’t be a better title for a Mr. Sun album than The Idea Guys. With four highly skilled instrumentalists and composers in the group, this release is evidence of how the creative juices are continually flowing, and how the well has yet to run dry.
