Dirt On The Strings: The Instrumental Collection

S&P Records 2004

Dirt on the Strings features 12 instrumental highlights from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's 30-plus years together. This is progressive bluegrass/country at its best, showcasing Jeff Hanna and John McEuen at their most forward-thinking and reverent. From the slow wind harp intro to Symphonion Dream's "Raleigh-Durham Reel"—written in a hotel stairwell by the whole band during a collective bout of insomnia—to the deep woods thunder of Vassar Clements' "Lonesome Fiddle Blues," Dirt is a compact reminder of the band's substantial impact on the genre.
James Christopher Monger, All-Music Review