David Griers accolades include three-time Guitar Player of the Year (International Bluegrass Music Assn), one of Acoustic Guitar magazines Artists of the Decade (2000) and performances on four Grammy Awardwinning albums. Grier, legendary in Bluegrass and acoustic music circles, hasnt left those roots behind. Evocative is full of pleasant surprises. These are smooth and melodic tracks from a virtuoso who doesnt make it his mission to show off or prove his technical ability. In his mastery of tone, in his precision picking and in the way he takes melodies apart and puts them back together, Grier nods to Norman Blake, whereas the rich and varied dynamics he brings to his interactions with other instruments recall the approach of Joe Pass. When he wails on electric guitar you might even think of a picker named Duane Allman.