Chris Thile - Leading Off...

According to the liner notes, in most ways Chris Thile was typical 13-year-old when he put out this debut album (and the photos of the cherubic, Chicago Cubs-bedecked teen would seem to confirm this). From the musical evidence, though, he was a typical teenager in the way that, say, Mozart was probably a typical teenager. The level of playing and compositional skill, not to mention the imagination, displayed on Leading Off... is no less than virtuosic. And, incidentally, thrillingly so. Thile already proved himself a master mandolinist on this date (not to mention a pretty accomplished acoustic guitarist and fiddler, and a burgeoning banjo picker), which would be astounding in itself. Read More