Ricky Skaggs Bruce Hornsby - Ricky Skaggs Bruce Hornsby (11 tracks) +Album Reviews

A collaboration full of musical individualism, provocation &

Joseph Ross | Roseburg, OR USA | 03/26/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Playing Time - 48:56 -- Sparks are bound to fly when two Grammy Award winners get together for a musical collaboration. Pianist Hornsby and multi-instrumentalist Skaggs build an interpretive bridge into adventurous Americana territory. First, there are the diverse roots and influences that each brings to the table. Second, there is the strong original material that each contributes. Finally, there is the instrumental cohesiveness of Skaggs' regular Kentucky Thunder band members. Sung by Skaggs or Hornsby, the songs don't necessarily strive for arrangements that emphasize vocal harmony. Rather, they tend to impart rhythmic intensity and the unique instrumental flair of various genres. This is largely the result of the musical union of piano (and even some minimal organ) with the likes of banjo, mandolin, accordion, fiddle, guitar, bass, jaw harp, resonator guitar, drums and more. It's a fascinating mixture that conveys energy, velocity and excitement. If one questions the appropriateness of piano breaks in hoedown music, then you need to hear "Sheep Shell Corn" to prove that it can be successfully done. Hornsby has a best-selling 4-CD product out called "Intersections," and Hornsby and Skaggs have taped a "Crossroads" show for Country Music Television (CMT). So, in a sense this album reinforces their enthusiastic intent to provide strong cutting edge music that fuses pop and bluegrass in a place where different genres meet amiably.

Hornsby's reinvented hit "Mandolin Rain" makes reference to the bluegrass band that "takes the chill from the air `til they play the last song," but the song is light years from your daddy Bill Monroe's bluegrass. Ricky Skaggs' instrumental "Stubb" offers spicy Cajun flavoring. The CD jacket includes lyrics for all of the songs. With "The Dreaded Spoon," who would've thought an entire song could be written from a kid's perspective about having to share his ice cream and cookies with the old man? The references to the "flash of a knife" and "jumpsuit of pain" in Hornsby's melodic "Crown of Jewels" indicates that he's telling a story of murder, deceit and downfall. The storyteller's "A Night on the Town" is a ballad that sets the stage for a showdown between some country and city boys that also leaves a scar. Skaggs' major contributions come in the way of arrangements for "Across the Rocky Mountain" and "Hills of Mexico." While both are seminal, this album is an interesting dichotomy to the old-time brother duet country music that Ricky Skaggs and Tony Rice put out in 1980. Various forks in the road over the course of three decades can lead musicians in many directions.

Sonic alchemy such as this calls for cross-fertilization and transmutation between genres. Under the right circumstances, alchemy can also yield gold. Besides a few traditional offerings, the set also includes some interesting material from Gordon Kennedy/Phil Madeira and James Johnson/Alonzo Miller. From the former, "Come on Out" is a call to take control of your own fate by reaching for the sky, and the arrangement features Kennedy's resonator guitars. From the latter pair of songwriters, "Super Freak" (originally sung by Rick James) is certainly a wild and kinky way to close the album with a tale about a special kind of band groupie who likes incense, wine and candles. John Anderson's ad-lib vocals lay right in alongside Hornsby and Skagg's. Overall, the collaboration of Skaggs and Hornsby is a memorable one that is full of musical individualism, provocation and moxie. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)

"

Ricky and Bruce: A great duo

David C. Schmidt Wiggs | Bellingham, WA United States | 03/21/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Next to the forthcoming CD with bassist Christian McBride and drummer Jack DeJohnette, there will probably not be another pairing this cool this year. HEY GRAMMY'S: Pay attention. These guys need a nod.

Super Freak makes it worth the price of the disc. Mandolin Rain redux is a new classic. Buy it~"

It Could Have Been Better

Eugene B. Seigal | Bend, OR United States | 05/06/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I saw Skaggs and Hornsby on a televised concert, I believe broadcast on CMT. It was great. The chemistry, fine musicianship, ( lots of credit goes to the back up band - Skaggs's crew, the Kentucky Thunder) and a good mixture of tunes made for a memorable performance. This left me with a great sense of anticipation for the album release, enough so that I pre-ordered it, something I seldom do.

The first listening left me cold. The first number, the sort of humorous ` The Dreaded Spoon" was a catchy tune, but easily forgettable. Nothing much going on after that until the fourth cut, a stunning version of Hornsby's " Mandolin Rain". I was hoping that things would pick up from there, but nothing grabbed my attention until the final cut, "Super Freak". This was due more to the novelty of hearing a Rick James classic being performed in a bluegrass style than to the actual enjoyment of the song.

First listenings are never a good way to form a judgment. I made subsequent repeated listenings hoping that I missed something the first time around. While I became more comfortable with what I was listening to, it still didn't grab me, particularly since I had such high hopes about the pairing of these two fine musicians. Why wasn't I enjoying this CD nearly as much as I did the TV special? After thinking it over for a while I came to some conclusions:

- The CD doesn't project nearly the energy of the live performance. Yes, this can be a common malady, but it doesn't have to be, ( example - the Allman Brothers recorded some classic live concerts, but the studio versions of the songs hold their own).

- Skaggs and Hornsby have similar voices. Some individuality could have been achieved through a better recording mix.

- Most of the songs just aren't very strong, not particularly memorable.

- Hornsby's uniquely, instantly identifiable piano playing is sorely lacking. As I said earlier, kudos go out to the band and, of course, to the always find pickin' of Mr. Skaggs. However, Hornsby's deft touch on the ivories, while not completely missing, is not given the prominent role that it deserves. This was not the case with the live performance.

I do not mean to overly- disparage this work. I give it three stars. It's listenable, at times enjoyable, but just did not live up to my high expectations. It was a great idea and I hope they try it again. Maybe a live concert recording would better capture the chemistry that these two fine musicians can produce together.

"

Good ol swingin bluegrass

John Hillestad | Ft Lauderdale, FL USA | 03/25/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"
Nice pairing of Hornsby and Skaggs . The CMT concert was great and so is this cd. Lets hope the duo will tour together too. Good stuff buy the cd and enjoy."

It's all good!

H. Webber | Austin, TX United States | 04/28/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If by chance you like bluegrass and you enjoy the piano work of Bruce Hornsby, you can't go wrong with this album. It's been on constant rotation in my CD player since the day I bought it. There's not a single song I would skip over, and that doesn't happen very often! Piano, mandolin, guitar, fiddle, banjo--it's all here and it is exquisite.

As other reviewers have said, don't expect the same-old same-old, especially when it comes to "Mandolin Rain." I didn't like it the first time I heard it because it was so different from the original, but now I can't even remember how the other version goes. It's all part of the Skaggs/Horsby magic!"

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