The View From Here – a review by Jim Hatlo Guitarist Craig Dobbins paints his new release, The View From Here, with a soft, lush musical palette. It’s a view well worth drinking in. Dobbins, long a prominent fixture in the world of fingerstyle guitar, is a noted teacher and a recognized authority on artists like Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed. He plays with the assurance of a performer who has nothing left to prove. There are no pyrotechnics on The View From Here. Dobbins puts all his energy, without wasting a note, into arrangements that are elegantly simple and quietly captivating. As with all great art, there are layered nuances – starting within the selections themselves, and extending out to the pacing of the entire album. You can cherry-pick tracks on The View From Here and have a great listening experience. (Try the poignant “Just A Dream” – and remember to exhale at the end.) But if you take them in sequence, you get a fuller appreciation of Dobbins’ skill as an arranger. He interleaves tunes evoking the Merle Travis, Chet Atkins fingerstyle tradition – like “Raspail” and “Low Down” – with sonorous, chorused tracks (the title song, and “When You Go”) and gems of eloquent understatement like “Laney’s Theme” and (a welcome reprise from an earlier Dobbins album) “Bound for Britain.” Dobbins is confident enough to include three selections other artists might have steered clear of, as having been dangerously overdone: Jim Croce’s “Time In A Bottle,” the 1971 Bread hit “If,” and the well-worn “Amazing Grace.” He finds something fresh and moving in each one. (Note: "Time in a Bottle" and "If" are not included in the download version of "The View From Here.") There is a serene quality to Dobbins’ work from start to finish: Unhurried, uncomplicated, and uncompromising. Every brush stroke is rendered thoughtfully and masterfully. The result is a View you won’t forget. - Jim Hatlo, media consultant and music journalist (Frets magazine) Quotes: “I have been enjoying and admiring Craig Dobbins for many years. His playing is as smart, sensitive, and soulful as it gets. He always gives you top shelf composing and playing. I'm proud to call Craig my dear friend!" -Steve Wariner, multiple Grammy and CMA award winning singer, songwriter, and guitarist "This is the kind of instrumental music that bears repeated listening, that makes me reach for a guitar or harmonica to play along, and then reminds me of how good it feels to learn a new melody, find the right groove, and simply be a musician." -Buddy Greene, singer, songwriter, guitarist, harmonica virtuoso, co-writer of Mary, Did You Know? “The View is gorgeous!” - Jim Hatlo, media consultant and music journalist (Frets magazine) "To me, this is what great guitar playing really is. Today, and for many years now I remain a huge Craig fan!" -Doyle Dykes, legendary fingerstyle guitarist "I love 'em! Every one. I don't know how you do it, but you get the best dang sound out of my guitar! You must practice or something!" -Kirk Sand, Sand Guitars