Bill Monroe is often cited as the man who gave birth to bluegrass, and his contribution to the genre simply can't be overestimated, but one can reasonably argue that
Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs had nearly as much to do with the growth of the music as Monroe (they certainly played a huge role in popularizing the revved-up acoustic style), and Scruggs more than anyone changed the role of the banjo in bluegrass, pioneering his own brand of fingerpicking that would come to supplant the clawhammer style as the dominant approach to the instrument. Jerry Douglas, widely acknowledged to be the finest dobro player in the game, is a serious
Flatt & Scruggs fan, and he's created a remarkable fan's gesture by bringing together a handful of superb pickers to pay homage to his heroes. Douglas, noted guitarist and singer Shawn Camp, ace banjo player Charlie Cushman,
Hot Rize founder and mandolin master
Tim O'Brien, gifted fiddler
Johnny Warren, and longtime
Alison Krauss sideman and bassist
Barry Bales team up as
the Earls of Leicester on this album, playing 14 classics from the Flatt & Scruggs songbook in the classic style. It's certainly a pleasure to hear six players this strong playing music they clearly love, and everyone on board has a superb touch and a sincere appreciation of the material, especially Douglas, Cushman, and Camp. As a tribute,
The Earls of Leicester is nearly flawless, and this should please veteran bluegrass aficionados as well as encouraging some younger fans to dig into the Flatt & Scruggs catalog.
