BLUEGRASS
CRITICS'S CHOICE
Skaggs, 50, has been performing since he clambered onstage with his mentor, Bluegrass Hall of Fame founder Bill Monroe, at age 5. It's safe to say that he has plucked a clunker or two in that time, but they have been surrounded by some of the most artful pop music of the past 50 years. This superlative collection of down-home music reeks of authenticity-the unfettered sound of elemental bluegrass. Skaggs is his usual dazzling self, picking and singing his way through all 13 tracks-from "Why Did I Wait So Long," a gospel-tinged tune by Shawn Lane, to "Sally Jo," a favorite romp of Monroe's--with zestful precision. And he's backed by his own band, Kentucky Thunder, which is the proving ground to bluegrass that the Duke Ellington Orchestra was to jazz. In addition, all-star fiddler Stuart Duncan, guitarist Brian Sutton (a Kentucky Thunder alum) and singer Sharon White (Mrs. Skaggs) sit in for this well-rounded album, which demonstrates that Skaggs's bluegrass continues to be greener.
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Sally Jo"
