''Mount Royal'' is an album by guitarists

Julian Lage Julian Lage ( ; born December 25, 1987) is an American guitarist and composer. Career A child prodigy, Lage was the subject of the 1996 short documentary film ''Jules at Eight''. At 12, he performed at the 2000 Grammy Awards. Three years later ...

and

Chris Eldridge Chris Eldridge is an American guitarist and singer. He is a member of Punch Brothers and frequently performs in a duo with fellow guitarist Julian Lage. He is also the guitarist in the house band on Live From Here. He was a founding member of the ...

which was released by the

Free Dirt ''Free Dirt'' is the first full-length album by Australian alternative rock band Died Pretty, released in 1986. The album was repackaged in 2008 by Aztec Music with a second CD containing seven singles and six live recordings from 1986. Critica ...

label in 2017. The record was nominated for a

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

in the "Best Contemporary Instrumental Album" category.

Reception

The Absolute Sound ''The Absolute Sound'' (TAS) is an American audiophile magazine which reviews high-end audio equipment, along with recordings and comments on various music-related subjects. History ''The Absolute Sound'' was founded in 1973 by Harry Pearson, ...

review by Greg Cahill said "''Mount Royal'' finds the two guitarists exploring atmospheric acoustic tunes, soft-jazzy instrumentals, and the occasional lyrical ballad. There is also a pair of straight-ahead bluegrass instrumentals on which the guitarists weave crosspicked lines to create lacy melodies. “Goldacre” is a better example of how these talented pickers can blend seemingly divergent styles, with Lage adding his moody minor-chord accents to Eldridge’s traditional bluegrass runs. I had hoped for more of that latter approach, in which the duo unites to create a distinctive, blended sound, rather than alternating between their very different styles".Cahill, G
The Absolute Sound Review
accessed May 5, 2019 On Jazz Weekly, George W. Harris stated "Jazz and bluegrass meet on successful terms ... In a setting like this, the only difference between genres is a few flatted notes here and there, as the easy blues and swing define both artists and guitars".Harris, G. W
Jazz Weekly Review
accessed May 3, 2019 In

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

Alec Wilkinson wrote "Eldridge’s playing is resourceful and fleet. He prefers the lower intervals of the chords and Lage, at times, likes the higher ones, and they both like a measure of scruffy dissonance. Eldridge has always been an adventurous player, and Lage is unrestrained ... I like everything on the record, but Eldridge’s piercing singing is best, I think, on “Things in Life” and “Sleeping By Myself.” Everything else is simply two acoustic guitars, and, even in our present moment of great richness in music of all kinds, it has the virtue of sounding like nothing else.".Wilkinson, A
The New Yorker Review
accessed May 3, 2019

Track listing

All compositions by Chris Eldridge and Julian Lage except where noted. # "Bone Collector" – 4:47 # "Rygar" (Chris Eldridge) – 3:24 # "Everything Must Go" – 4:53 # "Things in Life" (Don Stover) – 3:21 # "Old Grimes" – 2:51 # "Henry" (Julian Lage) – 3:49 # "Sleeping By Myself" (

Eddie Vedder Eddie Jerome Vedder (born Edward Louis Severson III; December 23, 1964) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist and one of four guitarists of the rock band Pearl Jam. He also appeared as a guest vocalist i ...

) – 2:42 # "Broadcast" (Lage) – 3:27 # "Goldacre" (Lage) – 3:25 # "Lion's Share" – 3:32 # "Living in the Mississippi Valley" (

John Hartford John Cowan Hartford (December 30, 1937 – June 4, 2001) was an American folk, country, and bluegrass composer and musician known for his mastery of the fiddle and banjo, as well as for his witty lyrics, unique vocal style, and extensive kno ...

) – 2:31 # "Greener Grass" (Eldridge) – 3:02

Personnel

– guitar *

– guitar, vocals

References

{{Authority control 2017 albums Chris Eldridge albums Julian Lage albums Free Dirt Records albums