I Am a Stranger (Sugar Hill, 2009)

In a few short years, the award-winning acoustic sextet The Infamous Stringdusters has developed a reputation as one of the most innovative bands in contemporary bluegrass. Now its fiddle player, Jeremy Garrett, shows off his own range and depth as a solo performer with his debut.

Based on the first two Stringdusters' albums, Garrett is already accomplished as a songwriter. Some of the group's finest compositions including Starry Night, When Silence Is The Only Sound and Dream You Back have all come from his pen.

It should then come as no surprise that this solo release includes more great originals written or co-written by Garrett. Echoes Of Goodbye is a rousing and hard-charging bluegrass tune, the contemplative and lushly textured instrumental Peace King stands our for its beautiful simplicity while I Knew You Would Love Me expertly blends elements of bluegrass and pop into a pleasant little package.

Although his own songwriting is highlighted throughout, Garrett, who handled production duties, rounds out the set with some choice cover songs. A twangy and true reading of Hank Thompson's honky tonk weeper Today adds a retro feel while Garrett's gorgeous arrangement of North And South Of The River, a song originally written and performed by Irish folk singer Christy Moore with Bono and the Edge from U2, is at the same time both contemporary and classic.