Danny Combs "Chasing Guitar," 2012 Nashville acoustic fingerstylist Combs plays with a passionate clarity that makes the listener sit up and take notice from the very first note of "Chasing Guitar," his third release. Yet this is a contemplative, at times even somber, CD. Combs' precision and evocative songwriting is showcased in a range of compositions: "Flying Wing" leans Celtic, "Dashington" is a bluesy bent-string romp that employs superfast arpeggios, and other pieces, like the lovely lighthearted "Awaken," employ ringing overtones and pulloffs as sharp as a pin prick. Combs has an extraordinarily light touch on the strings, as if he were playing silk instead of steel. While he clearly favors sonority and emotional depth over dazzle, virtuosity is fully evident, as on the moody rumbling "Sponge Cake." Given the meditative quality of the CD, it is no surprise that several songs have religious inspirations, such as the gorgeous "The Offering" and a lovely rendition of the hymn, "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing." While the CD could perhaps have used a jolt or two of the unexpected, "Chasing Guitar" is nevertheless truly mesmerizing. © Cline Keating