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. ~ Mark Deming