When Ricky Skaggs returned to Bluegrass music in 1997 with “Bluegrass Rules,” after an extended run performing contemporary country music, he crafted a near perfect modern take on this American genre of music. The level of energy was sky high, as was the level of musicianship and the quality of the recording. And Skaggs’s voice is just about perfect for Bluegrass—there aren’t any better than he is, just different, like Del McCoury. The only “drawback” to his first few Bluegrass recordings was that he usually threw in a song or two that couldn’t be categorized as strictly Bluegrass—sometimes they were more country, sometimes even Celtic or folk. As good as they were, and I continue to listen to them on a regular basis, there was a lingering promise that I was waiting for Skaggs to fulfill—a totally Bluegrass album. This is that album.
“Honoring the Fathers of Bluegrass” focuses on the pivotal time when Bill Monroe recorded the songs with the band that would create the basis for Bluegrass, 1946 and 1947. This was when Monroe brought together Chubby Wise on fiddle, Howard Watts on bass, Lester Flatt on guitar, and newcomer Earl Scruggs on banjo. Scruggs’s three-fingered style of banjo playing would be the final ingredient that Monroe had been looking for to make the music that he’d been hearing in his head a reality.
Skaggs’s approach to this album is to, as much as possible, “honor” the original recordings as they were performed by Bill Monroe, including replicating the original tempos, intros, and even solos. To lend even more credibility and authenticity to the project, he brought in Earl Scruggs to play banjo. And if this was Skaggs’s only reason for making this CD, to replicate what had already been done, there wouldn’t really be a need to listen to it since it had already been done, but there is more to it than that. What Skaggs brings to the music is this: he brings his own voice, his phenomenal band, his impeccable recording techniques, and his own sky high energy. Make no mistake, while this is certainly giving credit where credit is due to the originators of Bluegrass music, “Honoring the Fathers of Bluegrass” is Skaggs’s own take on what that music should sound like today. This is the album I’ve been waiting for and I’m glad he got around to making it. This will be on my personal playlist for years to come and it gets my highest recommendation.
TrackList:
1. Goin’ Back to Old Kentucky
2. When You’re Lonely
3. Toy Heart
4. It’s Mighty Dark to Travel
5. Mother’s Only Sleeping
6. Bluegrass Breakdown
7. Little Cabin on the Hill
8. Mansions for Me
9. Sweetheart You Done Me Wrong
10. Why Did You Wander
11. Remember the Cross
12. The Old Crossroad
– Hermon Joyner
