Lookout for Hope

1	Little Martha 3:41
2	Patrick Meets the Brickbats 3:22
3	Footsteps Fall 4:48
4	Monkey Let the Hogs Out 1:02
5	Lookout for Hope 10:24
6	Cave Bop 3:20
7	Senia's Lament 5:25
8	The Wild Rumpus 4:02
9	The Sinking Ship 5:05
10	In the Sweet By and By 1:59
11	The Suit 5:21

Barnes & Noble

Besides being the world’s most accomplished Dobro player, Jerry Douglas has huge ears. That is, his listening is far from confined to the bluegrass and country music worlds that he spends so much of his time playing in. As proven by the myriad influences that show up on Lookout for Hope, Douglas is obviously attuned to rock, folk, jazz, and a host of other popular musics. Take for instance, the title tune, which Douglas borrowed from the repertoire of the experimental jazz guitarist Bill Frisell. Or the album’s opening track, “Little Martha,” a gorgeous instrumental composed by rock-guitar icon Duane Allman. Or the closing track, “The Suit,” a plaintive folk ballad that features James Taylor on vocals. Other examples of Douglas’s eclecticism hide in plain sight, like “Cave Bop” with its jazzy contributions by saxophonist Jeff Coffin. Douglas’s collaborators are from all over the map as well. In addition to Taylor, one can find vocals from Maura O’Connell, mandolin from Sam Bush and Nickel Creek’s Chris Thile, and guitar from Phish’s Trey Anastasio. Yet Douglas’s own brilliant work is never overshadowed by his notable guests. Again and again, one is caught by the astounding displays of speed and melodic invention that have characterized this one-of-a kind player. It’s all we could expect from the man who put the Dobro on the contemporary music map. Steve Futterman

All Music Guide

Jerry Douglas sure can play the dobro. As the world's undisputed premier dobro player, Douglas has played with just about everybody. And, as would befit somebody with that kind of distinction, his playing is utterly virtuosic. The only question left, then, is what he wants to do with it. On Lookout for Hope, Douglas' fifth release for Sugar Hill, Douglas delivers up his usual newgrass, accompanied by some of the usual newgrass heavyweights, including Sam Bush, Stuart Duncan, and Jeff Coffin. Maura O'Connell, James Taylor, and Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio turn in appearances as well. Douglas tries to do a lot. "Patrick Meets the Brickbats" and "Cave Bop," for example, show off his lightning-fast playing. They are dazzling displays, but ultimately none too satisfying. Douglas does far better in milking the slow, bittersweet tones of the instrument, such as he does on a cover of Duane Allman's "Little Martha." The ten-minute title track (and album centerpiece), penned by jazz guitarist Bill Frisell, is most intriguing, combining Middle Eastern-sounding scales (such as on David Grisman's "Arabia" opus) with resonant and percussive acoustic sounds. As the master of the instrument, Douglas can do pretty much whatever he wants. Lookout for Hope does not find him resting on his laurels. Instead, he explores a variety of settings and moods, all bound together with the distinctive sound of his instrument. ~ Jesse Jarnow, All Music Guide

Downbeat

For skeptics and jazz snobs who think an album by somebody from Nashville playing a dobro is worth checking out, throw on “Patrick Meets The Brickbats.”