Darrell Scott is a powerful musical spirit. A Grammy-nominated artist, an award-winning songwriter, and a first-call session musician, living and working (literally and figuratively) on the fringes of Nashvilles Music Row, Scott occupies his own unique half-acre in this citys crowded musical landscape. In a town thats got pigeonholing down to an art, Darrell Scott stands out as a refreshingly mischievous artist.

Scott is a master of both the infectious, Southern-Rock riff, and of the instruments that bring them to life. His songs are propelled by his knack for blending tradition-soaked hooks with personal, contemporary lyrics. On The Invisible Man, Scotts sixth album, Scott explores themes of love, family, and the joys and pitfalls of the artists life. And if the singer sounds a little politicized on songs like Im Nobody and Goodle, USA (which, in a lyrically sanitized version, is covered by Faith Hill on her latest release), there are good reasons.

There were times when I got up on a soapbox on this record, he says. But I think were living in the weirdest time of my lifetime, and Im going to say something about it.

From his earliest days in Nashville, Scott the instrumentalist gravitated toward the best, with singers like John Cowan, pickers like Sam Bush, and songwriters like Guy Clark employing his utilitarian string-slinging skills.

Playing with Sam or trying to sing with Cowan is a really cool thing to do, Scott says. And if youre going to play to support a song, can it get better than supporting a Guy Clark song? Darrell co-produced two Guy Clark albums Cold Dog Soup and The Dark. Also, Darrell is currently an active member of Steve Earles Bluegrass Dukes.

With gigs paying the bills, Scott pursued his solo career, recording two projects (1997s Aloha From Nashville and 1999s Family Tree) and a duet album, Real Time, with bluegrass stalwart Tim OBrien. That album included the Grammy-nominated instrumental, The Second Mouse, and the Grammy-winning song, Long Time Gone.

It wasnt long before Scotts songs started to jump off those albums and onto the charts. Scott became one of Nashvilles most decorated songwriters. He was named Songwriter of the Year by the Nashville Songwriters Association International in 2001 and ASCAPs Songwriter of the Year in 2002. Im like the folksinger who wins the lottery, he says. I know the fortunes of having songs make some money, and Im trying to throw it back into music.

When putting his own records together, Scott calls on the cream of the crop. The recording roots of The Invisible Man go back to his powerful release, the critically acclaimed Theatre of the Unheard which won 2005 Album of the Year with the Independent Music Awards, and was listed as one of the 2003 Critics Top Albums by Rolling Stone Magazine. The bulk of The Invisible Man was recorded live in Scotts home studio, utilizing his familiar core group of players, including the rhythm section of world-class bassist Danny Thompson (Richard Thompson, Rod Stewart) and legendary drummer Kenny Malone (JJ Cale, Johnny Cash). Helping to flesh out the new records more ambitious soundscapes are guitarist Richard Bennett (Emmylou Harris, Mark Knopfler), pedal steel & electric guitar wizard Dan Dugmore, John Cowan and Sam Bush from the New Grass Revival, keyboardist Gabe Dixon (Paul McCartney), and spoken word artist Minton Sparks. The Invisible Man was mixed by multiple Grammy-winning engineer Gary Paczosa (Alison Krauss & John Prine.)

Were not making music to be music later, Scott says of The Invisible Man sessions. Its going to be music right now. This song is going to be pulled off now. To me, the breakthrough was getting my friends together and my friends are some of the greatest musicians around and making it like, no big deal.