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Brad Paisley
"Play"
Arista Nashville
 

Brad Paisley has included at least one instrumental track on each of his previous six albums, but the country star pulls out all the stops on this exuberant, gleeful, and mostly wordless survey of country-guitar acrobatics. After his high-octane opener, "Huckleberry Jam," Paisley shows off various aspects of his considerable virtuosity in the country-surf number "Turf's Up," a solo acoustic version of "What a Friend We Have in Jesus," the jazzy "Les Is More," and the competitive, "chicken-pick" gymnastics of a star-studded "Cluster Pluck."
 
Even the vocal tracks on "Play" celebrate the fret man's trade. Keith Urban joins Paisley on "Start a Band," B.B. King drops by to "Let the Good Times Roll," and Steve Wariner lends a hand on "More Than Just This Song," in which the duo recall a callous mentor they call Mr. Guitar. "Under his wings I learned to fly," they sing, as though it were a prayer, "on these six strings into the night."
 
 
Stephane Wrembel
"Gypsy Rumble"
Amoeba Music
 
Paris-born guitarist Stephane Wrembel fell under the spell of Django Reinhardt at an early age and has since devoted his life to pursuing and expanding the Gypsy jazz legend's string-driven innovations. California mandolin virtuoso David Grisman joins Wrembel's trio on "Gypsy Rumble" for a lively album devoted to fleet-fingered swing with a French twist.
 
As on Grisman's many duet recordings with Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia, the vibe is decidedly relaxed. Wrembel and the mandolinist trade articulate conversational solos on swinging tunes, such as "Swing Gitane," "Swing de Bellevue," and "Swing 48."
 
Smoky-voiced Brandy Shearer joins the pair for "Belleville Rendez-Vous" (the snazzy theme of the delightful animated film "The Triplets of Belleville") and "Dream All Your Troubles Away," a 1931 standard. By the time Wrembel’s rumble's over, you may consider yourself well swung.