In due time, I believe Daniel Grindstaff will find his way into the annals of bluegrass history. He’s well on his way. His new single “Looking at the World Through a Windshield” couples his considerable gifts with those of singer/songwriter and guitarist Trey Hensley. The two make a formidable pair.
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Grindstaff has plied his trade as a professional musician since turning eighteen years old. His banjo playing skills have garnered him considerable renown, and he commands respect from established genre luminaries such as Grammy Award-winning artist Marty Raybon. He’s since collaborated with everyone from Dolly Parton, Andy Leftwich, and Paul Brewster.
“Looking at the World Through a Windshield” continues to reach the same high bar set by Grindstaff’s previous recordings. Hensley’s declamatory lead vocals are assertive without ever browbeating listeners into submission. He captures the life-affirming audience living during even the genre’s most despairing moments. I think bluegrass, at its heart, is a refutation of sadness by its very existence. The eloquent lyrical mix of traditional instrumentation such as fiddle, banjo, and mandolin has an inherent buoyancy that cuts against heartache, and Hensley’s singing nicely punctuates that mood.
It is a brief but satisfying arrangement. “Looking at the World Through a Windshield” clocks in at under two-and-a-half minutes. It allows Grindstaff and his cohorts to show off a degree of instrumental prowess. However, anyone searching for extended instrumental reveries should look elsewhere. Grindstaff hails from a school of bluegrass thought that disdains self-indulgent displays of skill and focuses on serving the song.
His facility with the banjo is unquestionable. There is a confident jolt in his playing, and you won’t hear him place a note wrong during this performance. “Looking at the World Through a Windshield” maintains a brisk pace for the track’s entirety, befitting its subject matter about rushing to meet a loved one, and the musicians involved match its tempo each note of the way. The stripped-down production attributes zero in on three elements. Hensley’s singing, the rich multi-part vocals, and Grindstaff’s banjo are the undisputed center of the song.
It’s an excellent piece overall. Grindstaff’s vision for modern bluegrass defers to the past without living there. “Looking at the World Through a Windshield” isn’t awash in rural motifs but portrays everyday human emotions each of us has experienced. The lyrics are direct, plain-spoken, and don’t sink under the weight of needless pretentiousness. They communicate.
Grindstaff and Hensley share a natural chemistry worth exploring in the future. However, this single is a wonderful one-off that exhibits the talents of both men and feeds off its universal accessibility. It holds up under repeated listens. There is nothing disposable about this track, and the understated nuance present throughout the arrangement practically begs listeners to repeat the track rather than dismissing it after a single hearing. I believe Daniel Grindstaff is building an unimpeachable legacy one song at a time, and “Looking at the World Through a Windshield” is one of the most important tracks yet in pursuit of that goal.
Claire Uebelacker