The result is vibrant, diverse, and exciting music - from the mysterious opening strains of "Future Man" to the apocalyptic denoument of "Blue Men of the Sahara", the listener remains fully engaged throughout. If I had to pick three as an example of the breadth of talent at work here, I'd probably point to the "middle" of the CD - 1) "One Winter's Night," a lovely chamber piece involving beautiful interplay between Egdar Meyer's bowed bass and Mark O'Connor' violin; 2)"Macedonia", a bluegrass cum Greek dance song featuring the twin mandolins of O'Connor and Sam Bush (plus terrific, understated banjo backup from Bela Fleck), and 3) "Lochs of Dread", a Scottish/reggae (that's not a misprint) bounce-along composed by Fleck and dobro wizzard Jerry Douglas.

The appeal of "Strength in Numbers" goes beyond the "bluegrass jam" label. Some are clamoring for more from these five; I fear that any sequel would be a let down - then again, I wouldn't bet against them!

37 of 37 found the following review helpful:


Definitave NEWgrass bluegrass!  Oct 14, 2000
As much praise as has been heaped upon this album, one can hardly add anything new, but I simply must put in my two cents.

This album is *very* important in the history of bluegrass for several reasons.

First, because of the assembly of an absolute superstar lineup: Bela Fleck (banjo), Mark O'Connor (fiddle); Sam Bush (mandolin), Edgar Meyer (bass), & Jerry Douglas (dobro). All of these people are considered to be at the top of their field, and some of them are numbered amongst the legends of all time.

Secondly, because of the originality of the material. Most of the members of this group have plenty of experience in other areas (i.e. Fleck with jazz & world music, Meyer is a classical composer, etc.) Many of these songs have classical structures and incorporate elements of jazz as well. The amazing thing is that despite all of these outside elements, its still bluegrass music. Of course, its not old style like Bill Monroe, but all musical forms change and evolve, and this is certainly well within and respectful of the bluegrass tradition.

To go on and on about the players prowess would be silly, because everyone knows these guys are la creme de la creme. You know its innovative bluegrass though when there are songs titles like "Macedonia" (with a nice dobro & mandolin solos and trade-offs), "Blue Men of the Sahara" (which sounds like a runaway train during the jam) and "Lochs of Dread" (with its reggae beat.) This isn't your grandaddy's bluegrass, but he'd probably enjoy it too.

37 of 39 found the following review helpful:


A Bargain at Twice the Price  Jun 14, 2000
This album has no singing, just great all-acoustic instrument playing. Mark O'Connor, who was a fiddle champion at 14 and a flatpicking guitar champion at 16 (beating fellow legend Steve Kaufman), plays a breathless guitar on "Slopes." I still think seeing Mark play guitar is the highlight of his live shows. I've followed Jerry since before the Whites, Bela since his bands Tasty Licks and Spectrum, and Edgar since just after his days playing out in front of the ice cream stand. Of course, Sam Bush started the original incarnation of New Grass Revival in 1972 and has been at the forefront of this music since day one. Yes, these players are pretty much the house band at Telluride each year, and this wonderful album is a nice taste of what they do so well. Each player wrote one song with each other player, all in twosomes. That's the album. I've talked to Mark and Bela and both have said there will never be second Strength in Numbers album--this is it. What a heartbreaking thought. They do play together, or nearly all together, on dozens of other albums, but this one has a spirit and a life of its own. Twelve years later, it's still groundbreaking, inventive, and fresh. Trust all these reviews, this is the granddaddy of the "new acoustic" albums by the best players walking this earth.

15 of 15 found the following review helpful:


The best in new acoustic music - period.  Sep 25, 1998
This is an all-star group that really sounds like a group. Too many get-togethers by famous names don't click - like homemade spaghetti sauce in the first hour. This one's sounds have melded big-time. The compositions, the musicianship - the whole magilla is fabulous top to bottom. I spoke to Sam Bush (mandolin) about the album backstage once and he said - "Aw, I was just the percussion player on that album." That telling remark is true because he does it all: Sam's incredible right hand rolls on the mandolin astonish with how they parse a measure, his back-beat comping takes the 2-4 role a reggae drum and guitar combo do (Lochs of Dread), etc. And this is just one guy! What kind of steroids makes Mark O'Connor play solos like the one on Blue Men of the Sahara??? Just stop reading this and buy the album, OK?

14 of 14 found the following review helpful:


A descendent of Rosine, KY, home of Bluegrass music  Oct 29, 1999 By Corey Beatty
Put it this way: while I love to read Amazon music reviews, and let them influence my purchases, this is the first album I have reviewed. I bought it last week and am wearing it out--dozens of listenings seem to be required to fully realize the scope of the sound these five guys produced together. It's hard to decide on a favorite cut, but at this moment I can't get "Macedonia" out of my head. It's truly one of the most joyous tunes I've ever heard. Here's hoping they someday release another recording!

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