Ricky Skaggs hightailed it out of "country" music just before it turned into light-on-the-hayseed pop, devoting himself to producing real country music of the sort they now call "bluegrass." Anyway, he could never deny he'd done a lot of pretty good country songs back in the 90's, number one hits that he still wanted to perform. But how to make them work with his "new" genre? Well, here's the answer. Twelve of his best songs, re-recorded as bluegrass numbers.
Album Review:
Bluegrass InfluenceBut I'll be honest. The first time I listened to these, they really didn't sound THAT much different from the ones I listened to back in the 90s. (I didn't read any of the release information before I played the disc, and I honest-to-gosh thought it was just a "best of" collection, not re- recordings!) In other words, Ricky's always been heavily influenced by the bluegrass side of country and it always showed in his work, no matter where in the genre it got placed.
Heck, for those of us who watched those videos back then, who remembers that Bill Monroe himself appeared as "Uncle Pen" in the video for "Country Boy"? And I guarantee you Mr. Monroe thought of himself as "country" singer (heck, watch old episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies sometime, and hear them all call Flatt & Scruggs "country" music).
Anyway, that aside, it IS good to hear these old songs again, new recordings or not. It's also good to hear an artist take on his old music with a new mature outlook, although it's obvious to me that Ricky Skaggs has been this good all along (in other words, nothing's really changed). Skaggs is more than set up to be the next generation's Great Patriarch of Bluegrass Music, taking over seamlessly from his above-mentioned mentor; I doubt there's anyone who disputes that. So, since I missed the s ubtleties the first time, I listened again.
Apologies for being a country singer?
I remember watching Ricky on the Grand Old Opry one night and him feeling the need to apologize for having been a country singer. It bothered me a great deal - rather more than I realized at the time, considering I still remember it so clearly - because I have such a hard time redefining all the beautiful country music genres into such very separate categories - and more, to differentiate it from what's loosely being called "country" these days. I guess these days you have
to do that, and I suppose that's one of the reasons Skaggs felt the need to re-do these songs
It's highly likely that I'll get used to them this way and if I ever happen upon one of the originals, I'll hear the difference - but at the moment, it just sounds like good ol' Ricky Skaggs.
Release Date: July 1, 2008 – Label: Cracker Barrel
Track List:
- Crying My Heart Out Over You
- Heartbroke
- Highway 40 Blues
- I Wouldn't Change You If I Could
- You've Got A Lover
- Cajun Moon
- Honey (Open That Door)
- Cat's In The Cradle
- Uncle Pen
- Country Boy
- Lovin' Only Me
- Somebody's Prayin'
