“Punch” – Punch Brothers

Rating: 8/10

This project from former Nickel Creek mandolin player Chris Thile is a fresh blend of modernized bluegrass, folk and Celtic music.

If listeners can get past the original shock that they are actually listening to bluegrass, they will be entranced by sounds of the flawless mandolin playing by front man Thile. Not only is his playing remarkable, but the former Nickel Creek singer has a voice that is clear, calm and without the harsh southern drawl that plagues other singers in the genre.

The massive, four-movement epic of “The Blind Leaving the Blind” is one of Thile’s greatest works. This impressive composition combines classical, improvisational jazz and bluegrass to tell a deeply moving tale of a failed relationship.

Thile is backed by four other string musicians whose mastery of their instruments rivals his own.