The Three Pickers

1	Feast Here Tonight / Skaggs 3:02
2	What Would You Give in Exchange for Your Soul / Skaggs 2:35
3	Spoken Introduction / Skaggs 0:54
4	Who Will Sing for Me? / Skaggs 3:34
5	Spoken Introduction / Skaggs 1:47
6	Soldier's Joy / Skaggs 1:39
7	Walk on Boy / Skaggs 3:30
8	Daybreak Blues / Skaggs Bonus Track 3:21
9	Don't Let Your Deal Go Down / Skaggs 2:30
10	Pick Along / Skaggs 2:39
11	Spoken Introduction / Skaggs 0:29
12	What Is a Home Without Love? / Skaggs 3:06
13	Doin' My Time Bonus Track 4:28
14	Earl's Breakdown 3:43
15	The Storms Are on the Ocean / Skaggs 3:58
16	Down to the River to Pray / Skaggs 2:48
17	The Banks of the Ohio / Skaggs 4:19
18	Ridin' That Midnight Train / Skaggs Bonus Track 2:45
19	Spoken Introduction / Skaggs 0:51
20	Road to Spencer / Skaggs 3:36
21	Katy Hill / Skaggs 2:44
22	Foggy Mountain Top / Skaggs 3:10
23	Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms / Skaggs 3:21

Barnes & Noble

Released in conjunction with an episode of PBS's Great Performances, The Three Pickers is a boon for those who love to hear -- and see -- hot, masterful picking. Even without the visuals, though, this disc proves an unending delight, as these veterans put fresh spins on some time-tested material. Joined by the inimitable Earl Scruggs on mandolin and Ricky Skaggs on mandolin, 80-year-old Doc Watson pretty much steals the show, not only with his impeccably fingerpicked guitar work but also with his amiable between-songs stage patter, which lends the affair a living room-concert intimacy. Staunch traditionalists all, the trio kick things off by sharing lead vocals and trading feisty licks on Bill Monroe's "Feast Here Tonight." On another Monroe gem, the tender-hearted "What Is a Home Without Love," Watson reminiscences the first time he heard the Monroe Brothers on his family's Gramophone player, ahead of some beautiful harmonizing with Skaggs on the choruses. "Earl's Breakdown" is an occasion for Scruggs to tear into a zigzagging banjo lead, with Skaggs in furious pursuit on mandolin and Watson bringing up the rear with a fleet-fingered bit of angular picking. Alison Krauss drops by to add some evocative fiddle commentary and pitches some chilling vocal harmony on the Carter Family's "Storms Are on the Ocean," as well as starring with Watson in a jaw-dropping a cappella reading of "Down in the Valley to Pray" (from O Brother Where Art Thou?). Gospel, breakdowns, traditional folk tales, traditional country -- no matter the style, these seasoned pros deliver the goods, and then some, when it comes to mating soulful expression to technical mastery. David McGee

All Music Guide

Folk and bluegrass legends meet live on-stage on Rounder's bright and entertaining Three Pickers. The titular "pickers" are bluegrass banjo innovator Earl Scruggs, guitarist and folk purist Doc Watson, and relative newcomer (with only 45 years of musical experience under his belt) Ricky Skaggs on mandolin and guitar; they work most often as a trio but also perform with a wide variety of combos that were lucky enough to be invited on-stage. Recorded in Winston Salem, NC, in December 2002, the album reflects an honest interplay between the three main performers and the audience that seems lost in most concert experiences, and despite their age, Watson can still sing and Scruggs can still pick nearly as well as they did in their prime. Guest vocals and fiddle from the ubiquitous Alison Krauss liven up "The Storms Are on the Ocean" and the "one-sided prenuptial agreement" murder ballad "On the Banks of the Ohio," while Skaggs and his Kentucky Thunder inject some youthful exuberance into the evening during their set. The songs performed by "Earl Scruggs With Family and Friends" get a little loose around the edges, but the sweet and lowdown duo of Watson and his grandson Richard more than make up for it with their warm intimacy. All in all, it seems as though this was a spectacular exhibition of authentic folk music live on-stage, and the album lets that genuine honesty and warmth shine through perfectly. Zac Johnson