RICKY SKAGGS & BRUCE HORNSBY - RICKY SKAGGS & BRUCE HORNSBY
Historically the piano has been shut out of a bluegrass setting, dominated by stringed instrumentation as befitting its Appalachian mountain roots. But that hasn’t stopped Hornsby from collaborating with country wiz Skaggs on a delightful self-titled CD. Highlights include a toe-tapping jaunt through “Across the Rocky Mountains” and even a rippling cover of Rick James’ “Super Freak,” complete with fiddle breaks and banjo cadences. Featuring Scaggs’ top-notch bluegrass band, Kentucky Thunder, the CD bursts out of the gates with the lighthearted Hornsby original “The Dreaded Spoon,” setting a clipper pace for the duration. The album exudes pure fun and even opens a new window on Hornsby’s hit, “Mandolin Rain,” which the pair remakes to fit the lyrics’ bluegrass bent.
