Bluegrass singer/guitarist
Tony Rice
has been recording songs written by
Gordon Lightfoot
throughout his career, and this 17-track compilation gathers them together, adding a previously unreleased version of
"Whispers of the North"
that was cut for
Rice's
Me and My Guitar
album. Included are tracks
Rice
recorded as part of
J.D. Crowe & the New South
,
the Tony Rice Unit
the Rice Brothers
, in a duo with
Norman Blake
, and as a solo artist. That means that on the various tracks he's joined by a newgrass who's who that includes
Jerry Douglas
Ricky Skaggs
Sam Bush
Vassar Clements
, and
Bela Fleck
, among others. The selections include "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" and "Early Morning Rain," but for the most part
eschewed
Lightfoot's
better known compositions, and the collection serves to illustrate the overall quality of the songwriter's catalog.
did not just use the songs as platforms for picking sessions, either. His singing clearly influenced by
, he brought a strong interpretive ability to the lyrics. Of course, the picking is pretty hot, too. ~ William Ruhlmann