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Mosaic
Mosaic in Bloomington, MN
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Ricky Skaggs
has been so steady throughout his long career, turning out finely crafted
country pop
hits, and since 1997, at least, basing most of his recorded work around
bluegrass
and his stellar mandolin playing rather than the Nashville mainstream, that's it's easy to forget how varied his output actually is, and he's at a point now where he can explore whatever avenue he wants on his new
Skaggs Family Records
imprint. On
Mosaic
, he steps back from that
base and delivers a fully accessible and modern record of melodic and spiritually-themed
pop
songs that aren't exactly
country
, aren't exactly
gospel
, and aren't exactly
rock
, although they explore the same dynamics. Truthfully, if there's a distant influence over this record, it might well be
the Beatles
, as song after song here unwinds with beautiful
melodies and carefully arranged studio touches, including occasional orchestration and even backwards guitars. Don't worry,
Skaggs
plays some mandolin on
, but he's more likely to be playing electric guitar on these tracks, and if the overall sound is on the
side of
, the themes and lyrics are pure
-- this is an album about God. The title track,
"Mosaic,"
which is also the lead off track, is an obvious highlight, as is the ballad
"Instead,"
which features orchestration and bagpipes,
"I'm Awake Now,"
which comes embedded with tastefully applied backwards-sounding electric guitars and a lead vocal by
Molly Skaggs
, and the album's rhythmic centerpiece,
"My Cup Runneth Over,"
complete with some guest electric guitar from
Peter Frampton
. There is nothing remotely traditional about these tracks, and
Skaggs'
many bluegrass fans may scratch their heads at this outing, but the music on
, for all its graceful experimentation, doesn't sound madcap or out of place with the whole of
legacy. It's both familiar and new, and very, very hummable. ~ Steve Leggett
has been so steady throughout his long career, turning out finely crafted
country pop
hits, and since 1997, at least, basing most of his recorded work around
bluegrass
and his stellar mandolin playing rather than the Nashville mainstream, that's it's easy to forget how varied his output actually is, and he's at a point now where he can explore whatever avenue he wants on his new
Skaggs Family Records
imprint. On
Mosaic
, he steps back from that
base and delivers a fully accessible and modern record of melodic and spiritually-themed
pop
songs that aren't exactly
country
, aren't exactly
gospel
, and aren't exactly
rock
, although they explore the same dynamics. Truthfully, if there's a distant influence over this record, it might well be
the Beatles
, as song after song here unwinds with beautiful
melodies and carefully arranged studio touches, including occasional orchestration and even backwards guitars. Don't worry,
Skaggs
plays some mandolin on
, but he's more likely to be playing electric guitar on these tracks, and if the overall sound is on the
side of
, the themes and lyrics are pure
-- this is an album about God. The title track,
"Mosaic,"
which is also the lead off track, is an obvious highlight, as is the ballad
"Instead,"
which features orchestration and bagpipes,
"I'm Awake Now,"
which comes embedded with tastefully applied backwards-sounding electric guitars and a lead vocal by
Molly Skaggs
, and the album's rhythmic centerpiece,
"My Cup Runneth Over,"
complete with some guest electric guitar from
Peter Frampton
. There is nothing remotely traditional about these tracks, and
Skaggs'
many bluegrass fans may scratch their heads at this outing, but the music on
, for all its graceful experimentation, doesn't sound madcap or out of place with the whole of
legacy. It's both familiar and new, and very, very hummable. ~ Steve Leggett
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