Chris Thile
Deceiver

Review By Steven Stone
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CD Number: Sugar Hill Records 

  The only disappointing thing about Chris Thile's fifth solo album, Deceiver, is its length at only 34:23.  Highlighting his songwriting and arranging skills, Deceiver displays the strong influences of not only fellow Mutual Admiration Society member, songwriter Glenn Phillips, but also classical chamber music, avant-garde jazz, rap, and South American Chioro music. The final result comes across like pop music for the mid-21^st century.

At the ripe old age of 23 Chris Thile has already cut a wide swath across the world of bluegrass. His first album, "Stealing Home," released ten years ago when he was 13, established him as one of the most technically adept mandolin players ever to play a fiddle tune. His subsequent albums, both with the group Nickel Creek and solo efforts, revealed his ability to draw from traditional music while creating entirely new musical amalgamations. Deceiver comes across as Thile's most intimate and self-exploratory album. Songs such as "I'm Nowhere and You're Everything" dwell on complicated interpersonal relationships, just the sort of thing that you'd expect from a precocious, sensitive, early 20-something year-old. The complexity of the melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic structures separates Thile's work from other young songwriters. Just when a song has settled into a comfortable groove it will veer off into uncharted territory. Deceiver ain't for old traditionalists who can't adjust to a bit of ear-stretching.

Co-produced by Thile and Engineer Gary Paczosa, Deceiver sounds glorious. The two solo mandolin pieces "Jessamyn's Reel, and "Waltz for Dewayne Pomeroy" have the steamy intimacy of a warm studio on a summer night. Even more sonically ambitious pieces such as "Empire Falls" demonstrate how wonderful texturally complex modern pop can sound.

Each time Chris Thile delivers a solo album the event comes across like an intellectual and emotional challenge. Can you keep up? This music doesn't just sit there like aural wallpaper. Instead it demands you pay full attention if you want to get your head and heart around it. In a world full of musical pabulum, being confronted by complicated music that requires some effort on the listener's part is cause for rejoicing.

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