Sing the Songs of Bill Monroe

Barnes & Noble

If you're Ricky Skaggs, bluegrass has always been in your heart, and that heart has been pledged specifically to the sounds of Bill Monroe. So it's no surprise to find Ricky assembling an all-star cast for an old-fashioned hoedown in memory of the father of bluegrass, and it's a big winner. Bruce Hornsby's evocative opening take on "Darling Corey" sounds more like a Bruce Hornsby song than a Bill Monroe song, but the next 13 cuts keep the faith in a most admirable way. Dolly Parton's resurgence as a bluegrass artist continues with a powerful, understated performance of "Cry, Cry Darlin'," and Patty Loveless moans "Close By" as if it were an outtake from her wonderful Mountain Soul. The Dixie Chicks, in their first released recording since Fly, provide impeccable harmony singing -- a soothing counterpoint to the spite-filled deliveries of Natalie Maines and Skaggs -- on the bitter breakup classic "Walk Softly on This Heart of Mine." Kentucky native Dwight Yoakam checks in with a spirited, fiddle-driven production of "Rocky Road Blues," sounding appropriately buffoonish as he celebrates his woman's taking off with another man and then sheepishly admits he regrets being alone. John Fogerty adds proper historical perspective on Monroe's influence by offering a feisty, Presley-styled (read: rockabilly) interpretation of "Blue Moon of Kentucky," complete with slapping bass and guitar solos that liberally quote from the texts of Scotty Moore and Carl Perkins. Steve Wariner, the Whites, Joan Osborne (duetting with Ricky on the plaintive "On the Old Kentucky Shore"), and Mary Chapin Carpenter all pitch in with exemplary performances, and Skaggs wraps up the proceedings with a rip-roaring workout on "Uncle Pen," with Travis Tritt, the Whites, Charlie Daniels and Mary Chapin all taking turns round the microphone. Add this to the recently issued salute to Webb Pierce, Caught in the Webb, and 2002 is a mighty good year for country music tributes. David McGee

All Music Guide

Featuring an all-star lineup of country and rock's biggest names, Ricky Skaggs' heartfelt tribute to bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe is well-intended but a little too slick. Featuring artists like Mary Chapin Carpenter, the Dixie Chicks, Charlie Daniels, John Fogerty, Bruce Hornsby, Patty Loveless, Joan Osborne, Dolly Parton, Travis Tritt, Steve Wariner, the Whites, and Dwight Yoakam, it is made overwhelmingly clear that the music of Monroe has made an impact on many different musical genres. Unfortunately, the genre that this CD is lacking is bluegrass; the listener has to wait until the last track (the scattered "Big Mon") to hear some real pickers like J.D. Crowe and members of the Del McCoury Band perform traditional down-home music. There is no one else in the music industry who works harder to bring traditional American bluegrass to the mainstream audience, but unfortunately the vehicle it arrives in usually ends up being a new Cadillac, not the sturdy 1943 Ford pickup it belongs in. [This album was originally released on Skaggs' own Skaggs Family Records under the title Big Mon, and was re-released on Disney's Lyric Street imprint under the title Sing the Songs of Bill Monroe with one additional track.] Zac Johnson