John Hartford

Insensitive though I am to tales of them thar pickers, I must admit that Norman Blake's guitar, Tut Taylor's dobro, and Vassar Clements's fiddle complement Hartford with tact, wit, and sly razzmatazz. But I insist that it's Hartford's funny, quirkish songs, rather than his banjo, that save me from continued boorishness. And warn that the songs are so grass-meets-bluegrass that remembering them sometimes gives me whimsy megrims and nostalgia headaches. (Grade: B+)