I am a Pilgrim: Doc Watson at 100

Celebrating the 100th anniversary of his birth, I Am A Pilgrim: Doc Watson at 100 is a diverse and fascinating homage to the grandmaster of Appalachian guitar. On a tribute album like this, of course you’d expect a celebrity guest spot or two (hello Dolly Parton singing ‘The Last Thing on my Mind’!), since Watson was a beloved legend of Appalachian music. What you might not expect are cameos from far-ranging roots music experimentalists like Yasmin Williams, Marc Ribot, Bill Frisell, Lionel Loueke and Valerie June. Watson's influence has reached so far over the decades, it makes sense that experimental roots artists would want a chance to play with his legacy. What is surprising is the restraint that many of them show on this album. Those who are coming to this expecting virtuosic guitar displays may be disappointed. Instead, each performer seems to have taken Doc's real message to heart: let the tune be the tune and just celebrate the melody. As a guitarist, Watson was on another level, but he never sacrificed the melody or overplayed his instrument. That might be partly why he was such a star of the 1960s folk revival. Like his counterpart, Mississippi John Hurt, Watson's guitar work was eminently accessible, so clearly played that it was almost a tutorial. He was an affably kind presence over the years as well, helping discover younger artists like Old Crow Medicine Show.

It's the kindness and openness that Watson exemplified that's so nice to see in this tribute album. Along with star turns from Parton, Steve Earle (‘Make Me a Pallet’), Rosanne Cash (‘I Am a Pilgrim’), Ribot (‘The Lost Soul’) and Frisell (‘Your Lone Journey’), trailblazing younger artists are also featured. Still a teen, Nora Brown's haunting ‘Am I Born to Die’ sounds old beyond her years, and one of the two best picking tracks on the album comes from young guitarist Yasmin Williams’ unique playing style (Watson's old second guitarist Jack Lawrence provides the other hot picking track). Not every moment is perfect in this tribute. A lethargic version of ‘Alberta’ from Jeff Parker & Matthew Stevens weighs the first half down, and Cash's cover is a bit stilted, though heartfelt. Some of the best parts of the album are the nods from blues-oriented artists like Corey Harris (‘How Long Blues’), June (‘Handsome Molly’), and Ariel Posen (‘Will the Circle Be Unbroken’). Watson loved the blues and, like many early Appalachian musicians, played it as ably as the white mountain music he grew up with. Another key choice is the inclusion of electric guitar. Watson made his professional debut in North Carolina on an electric guitar, though he switched back to the acoustic after meeting Ralph Rinzler and playing for folk revivalists in New York City for the first time. All told, I Am A Pilgrim: Doc Watson at 100 is a surprising but fitting tribute to one of the greatest American guitarists of all time.