If I lived in the Washington, D.C., area and wanted to learn fingerstyle guitar, I'd seek out Mike Dougherty. He's been playing for 20 years and has been teaching since 2003. Along the way he has put out two CDs of instrumental fingerstyle guitar: 2005's Better Slow Down and now this one, Southern Comfort. Anyone interested in old-time acoustic blues, folk, country and ragtime guitar music ought to be listening.

The man is a master. His playing is smooth, sounding almost effortless. It is back-porch music at its best. Dougherty knows how to put a tune together and he knows how to choose tasteful licks to put the tune across. His slide playing owes a lot to his own teacher, Jorma Kaukonen, but Dougherty is not aping anyone here; he's clearly his own man.

Here's all I can really say about Southern Comfort: Go get it.

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