One of he best things about music is that it has so many different avenues through which it can blow you away.

I find both Stephane Grapelli (how could he have been that old and still be getting better?) and David Grisman remarkable in that they can bring you to tears, sans lyrics.

As far as vocalists go, when I first heard Eva Cassidy (doing "Fields"), it was enough to spin me away from my usual world and into someplace I hadn't been before.

But for a total epiphany, it had to be Michael Smith's entire CD titled "Michael, Margaret, Pat and Kate". I listened alone,in the car, driving a rainy two lane highway and just couldn't imagine how some stranger had written so much of my life story.