Emerging as wood-and-steel road warrior over the last couple years, Liam Grant is a journeyman pupil of the guitar soli dharma emanating from the Takoma school and beyond. With Amoskeag, Grant carves his own path through roving distances of hard-driving, raga-infused guitar excursions, ultimately arriving somewhere that feels like home. Born of a year's incessant touring, the six extended compositions on his second full-length release are reverent contemplations of time, memory, and place, coursing with the ancestral spirits of Grant's native New England and the melodic traditions of country bluegrass, ragtime, and blues. Read more

[...] works of the past animate [Grant], and he's keen to return them the favor. [...] Amoskeag offers raga-inspired fantasias and old time-steeped invitations to kick up your hoofs, balancing winding reverie with convivial celebration. Read more

[...] much promise was already shown by Liam on Swung Heavy, an ace homage of sorts to his favourite players that dedicated over half of its run time to cover versions of classic and well-respected guitar tunes. [...] what hits you first is the confidence in Liam's approach to acoustic picking and his apparent ease of playing long, technical pieces and having them sound interesting and vital. Read more

Amoskeag, the first album composed exclusively of original material, which gives a glimpse of the artist's immense slow talent. Archaic country, pre-war folk, Appalachian bluegrass, spirited ragtime, primitive blues and even avant-garde and psychedelia intertwine in six long instrumental tracks mostly for acoustic guitar alone, pervaded by a sense of immediacy and authenticity that Liam Grant he achieves with a sound that is at times urgent, lyrical and imaginative and with a completely personal style. [...] An imaginative and eclectic guitarist gifted with extraordinary technique and sensitivity, Liam Grant is one of the most inspired soloists you will ever hear.

On a recent tour with the singer-songwriter Buck Curran, the guitarist Liam Grant reminded me of Jack Rose — a raw and wild fingerstyle undercut by youthful sweetness — yet there's definitely something of his own. His first widely available release, Amoskeag, is out now.

[...] More unusual in its style is Aroostook, an anomaly here in that it feels completely original in places and far less in keeping with past styles and genres. A very low picked intro leads into a quite disparate first half before a more patterned and rhythmic second picks up. This tune, underpinning the piece, is lovely, with wide-eyed innocence and playfulness. The whole album is a real pleasure to listen to, but Aroostook is the tune here that is telling me that Liam is a musician to keep an eye on. Read more

The notion of "pyrotechnics" in the realm of acoustic guitar is probably a little silly, but I submit that you know it when you hear it. It's when you think they are four hands playing, when there are only two. John Fahey had it. Jack Rose had it. Daniel Bachman has it. Gwenifer Raymond sometimes has it. Liam Grant definitely has it. Read more

Above all, Grant is a fun player, swinging mightily and diving deep, coming back to the surface with plentiful pearls from the river. Read more

As perchance this brisk July eve in the Boston area, I was to experience a delightful musical and aesthetic encounter. As unpretentious and undistinguished as the visual accoutrement of the musical craftsmanship may have been, the sound of Liam Grant was brilliantly polished and pulsated as rhythmically as could be expected for his indigenous brand of semi-eclecticism would allow...