Solo: Songs My Dad Loved

by Todd SterlingUp to this point in his lengthy career, multi-instrumentalist and Grammy Award-winner Ricky Skaggs has done it all. From country to bluegrass to gospel, Skaggs has found success in every style he's set his heart on. Solo: Songs My Dad Loved finds the singer/songwriter in tribute. Skaggs credits his father for helping him fall in love with music, thus these 13 tracks were lovingly recorded as an homage to Hobert Skaggs. Ricky played every single instrument on the acoustic collection and sang every note; there are no outside musicians or vocal guests anywhere to be found. The Kentucky native has never sounded better in his career than he does here, from the haunting instrumentation and vocals of "City That Lies Foursquare" to the lightning-fast fretting and fingering on "Calloway," one of three instrumental tracks on the disc, Skaggs sounds totally in his element. Standout tracks included Fred Rose's "Foggy River," Albert Brumley's "This World Is Not My Home," and "God Holds the Future in His Hands," a traditional number that sounds as if it was penned with Skaggs' voice in mind. Few artists in any genre could pull of an album like this, but Skaggs makes it look and sound easy.