Skaggs -- The Best!
What's there to say about Ricky Skaggs that hasn't already been said? This is a great CD!

Really good
Bought this CD before going to see Ricky as he played in our small town. This CD will give you a great range of his songs. All are really good if you like his Bluegrass/country style. The only thing missing with his live show (July-2006) was that he doesn't do his older country songs anymore. His shows are all bluegrass now. Not bad, but wish he would have played more than a couple from this album when he performed live.

wonderful album
This is a classic album. Ricky Skaggs's great voice is perfectly featured in this collection with hits such as "Highway 40 Blues," "Crying My Heart out over you," "You May see me walking," and "You've got a lover." The collection of songs couldn't have been better. If you like Ricky Skaggs, you will love this album. I guarantee it. You will not be disappointed if you get it.

*both* bluegrass and country
Whether you prefer Ricky's country music or bluegrass music, there's a combinaton of both on this album. I'm a BIG fan of his bluegrass music (BLUGRASS RULES!), so I wasn't personally overwhelmed with the electronic and steel guitar stuff on this album - but my least favorite Ricky Skaggs song is WAY better than 99% of everything else that's out there!

Great Tunes But Only Half Of His Best
In the early '80s, Ricky Skaggs was one of the leaders of the New Traditionalist movement who steered country away from the pop crossover stylings typified by Kenny Rogers and Barbara Mandrell and back toward its roots. Skaggs' sound is actually an amalgamation of bluegrass, western swing, and traditional country, with vocals that drive home his old-fashioned, mountain upbringing.

Not possessing the matinee idol good looks of a George Strait, it is a tribute to his immense skills as a musician (fiddle, mandolin, acoustic guitar, and banjo) and singer (one of themost supple tenors around) that Skaggs was able to make such a big impact in modern country music. This set captures about half of his hits on the Epic label in the '80s.

Skaggs' early releases were dominated by remakes of songs made popular in the 50s and 60s by his bluegrass heroes with Flatt & Scruggs "Don't Get Above Your Raisin'" and "Crying My Heart Out Over You" getting the set off to a lesiurely start, followed by Reno & Smiley's "I Wouldn't Change You If I Could," the Stanley Brothers' "Don't Cheat In Our Hometown" and Bill Monroe's toe-tapping "Uncle Pen." Interspersed covers of Webb Pierce's "I Don't Care" and "Honey (Open That Door)" offer a change of pace dripping with classic country and western style. The disc winds down with Skaggs adding a bit more variety to his musical pallet on the power picker "Country Boy" and the live "Cajun Moon."

By the early 90s, traditional country was bombarded by the noisier sounds of contemporary artists like Garth Brooks, and country radio was concentrating on artists under 40. Skaggs was no longer an upper-chart placing presence and in 1992, he and Epic parted ways. To get all of the classic Epic hits, check out the two-disc Country Gentleman: The Best Of Ricky Skaggs.