Traveler

is the undisputed King of the Dobro, a musician with monster chops. He cut his teeth playing bluegrass with , but he's equally adept at almost any kind of music and has played with the top jazz, pop, and country artists for almost 40 years. is another eclectic outing from an artist who refuses to be pigeonholed, and features kicking up his heels with a bunch of A-list friends including , , and . tries his hand at funky New Orleans R&B on 's "High Blood Pressure," with on lead vocals and tickling the ivories. plays some greasy lap steel licks and adds -like vocal harmonies. opens 's "On a Monday" with his slippery, bluesy slide guitar work and adds credible lead vocals, but it's his stinging slide that carries the tune home. guest on "Frozen Fields," a track with delivering her usual luminous vocals while plays some laid-back acoustic guitar fills. He's more adventurous on the album's lively instrumentals. "King Silkie," co-written with guitarist , is a blazing hybrid of bluegrass and acoustic rock with smoking on Dobro in the company of on mandolin, on guitar, and on banjo. turns jazzy on a medley of "American Tune/Spain," the latter a standard that incorporates elements of 's "Concierto de Aranjuez." layers up several Dobro tracks and incorporates the flavors and feel of flamenco into his free-flowing improvisations. blends the sounds of Celtic folk and hints of classical Indian music on "Gone to Fortingall." 's inventive banjo and ' drumming provide sympathetic backup. ~ j. poet