Track Lists| Sound+Video Clips| Reviews
| Track Lists — Sound Clips — Info |
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Road Song
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1. Song for My Father 6:02 with: |
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"I don't really have the words to explain what it is for me to encounter the work of an artist like this for the first time. Transcendent comes to mind but then, you've heard that before. Let me just say that I'm spellbound by your take on these tunes and more proud than words can say that you've included a song of mine." NPR feature, Dobro Player Rob Ickes Takes a New Highway - hear it here | read it here |
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Contemporary
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1. Angeline the Baker (see video at right) DVD length: 67 minutes |
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The DVD includes a wide-ranging interview, a photo gallery, and a bonus audio CD of all 17 tunes from the DVD. |
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Big Time
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1. Machine Gun Kelly with Jason Burleson, Shawn Lane, Tim Stafford, Wayne Taylor and Derek Jones |
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Review "Ickes has taken contemporary bluegrass into wondrous new directions, without ever leaving the true heart of the music to the wayside . . . . Ickes never discounts the soul quotient in his playing or recording. A listen to the ballad "Matt Hyland," with its loping Dobro and fiddle lines that nearly weep in counterpoint, is an example. [T]he solid fever stomp of "Born in a Barn" [and] open country jam "The Fatal Shore" preface a deeply moving read of "Wayfaring Stranger," complete with Dobro harmonics that offer a haunting template for the melody of the tune. [and] a stellar version of Merle Travis' "I Am a Pilgrim." The most beautiful cut on the set is a deeply bluesed-out reading of Bill Monroe's "Lonesome Moonlight Waltz," with its backhanded slide runs and dirgelike tempo. This is the finest moment Ickes has committed to tape thus far." |
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What It Is
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1. Mr. Goodbar with Derek Jones (bass), Paul Hanson (saxophones, bassoon), John R. Burr (piano, organ), Kendrick Freeman (drums) |
Sound Clips
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Review "With this new album, [Ickes is]pushing the dobro as far as it's ever gone into traditional jazz.... The tunes are mostly Ickes' own, so they are written for dobro, which means lots of repeated figures and slurry, funky slides. The opening Mr. Goodbar may well become a standard for future dobro jazzers. Blues for Sammy is an inventive jump, 50 Years Ago is more old-fashioned and lyrical. When We Were Leaving, a stately ballad with delicious chord changes, may be the most exquisite cut of all.... Ickes' vision [is] one that finds him cracking through musical boundaries and crafting a sound that's both adventuresome and accessible, even to the non-jazz schooled. How very Music City of him." |
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Slide City
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1. Dwight's Blues with John R. Burr (piano), Derek Jones (bass), Kendrich Freeman (drums), Joe Craven (mandolin, percussion), Tim O'Brien (vocal), Susanne Cox and Sidney Cox (harmony vocals). |
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"A multi-IBMA award winner for dobro player of the year, Ickes...is keen on expanding the musical boundaries of his instrument. Owing to his love of jazz, Ickes gives us a very strong, very enjoyable [album]. Many tunes are from the jazz masters, including Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man," Earl Klugh's "Central Park," Larry Carlton's "Don't Give it Up" and Miles Davis' "New Blues." There are two vocal cuts - Tim O'Brien sings lead on Steve Winwood's "Can't Find My Way Home," and Cox Family members help out on Jimmy Rodgers' "California Blues." Backed by a superb rhythm section and Joe Craven on mandolin, Ickes has succeeded here in presenting the dobro as a lead jazz instrument." "He's more than just skillful, and his tone is complex and full, lyrically haunting even on the speediest numbers. He plays his instrument with the control and nuances of the great jazz vocalists, and that makes Slide City worth exploring--whatever Ickes's bluegrass fans might think of the genre shifts." |
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Hard Times
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1. No More My Land with Larry Atamanuik, Barry Bales, Ron Block, Jason Burleson, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Viktor Krauss, Shawn Lane, Gary Smith, Tim Stafford, Adam Steffey, and Wayne Taylor. |
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"When Rob Ickes' Hard Times first appeared in 1997, it was one of the most anticipated debuts in modern bluegrass history. That it lived up to its promise as a soulful work with dazzling players [and] a startling new take on the music was a universally accepted assessment." "Every once in a great while, someone comes along and does an obvious 'must have' recording project. For people who love acoustic music, this is one of those rare times. Rob's...playing is greasy, subtle, sensuous and powerful — all at once. [T]he end result is a recording with enough soulful energy and great dynamics to warrant many, many listenings. If you happen to be a resophonic guitar player, you'll spend a lot of those listenings trying to steal his licks!"
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Sounds of Home
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1. I Ain't Gonna Lay My Hammer Down Blue Highway: Jason Burleson, Rob Ickes, Shawn Lane, Tim Stafford, Wayne Taylor |
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"Blue Highway’s first album since celebrating their 15th anniversary as one of contemporary bluegrass’s most consistently fine (and IBMA-decorated) bands, Sounds of Home keeps the veteran group’s winning streak alive. It’s a matter of course that any Blue Highway record will be packed with stirring vocals (Shawn Lane’s lonesome tenor has never been stronger) and pristine picking, but the new record also finds the band still growing as writers; as steeped in bluegrass traditions as the new record is, the album is comprised of 11 fresh originals, pensive narratives filled with heartaching nostalgia and poor-boy existentialism. Highlights: Rob Ickes dripping dobro gold over the harmony-rich chorus on the title cut, and the banjo, dobro, and mandolin showdown on the fierce instrumental “Roaring Creek”. —PopMatters |
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Some Day:
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1. Cold and Lowdown Lonesome Blues Blue Highway: Jason Burleson, Rob Ickes, Shawn Lane, Tim Stafford, Wayne Taylor |
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"Plenty of bluegrass bands have managed to endure for a decade and a half, but to do so with essentially the same lineup is fairly rare. Yet, with the exception of a brief interlude around the turn of the millennium, the sterling music of Blue Highway has been produced by the same quintet. Over that time they have justly earned a reputation as one of the world's premier acoustic bands, equally at home with material (most of it original) that satisfies the gamut of bluegrass fans from traditionalists to those of the progressive/Americana stripe. "Fans of the band (who likely already own all eight previous releases) might conclude that this is simply a "greatest hits" collection, but [if] you're a longtime fan, the three new songs make it more than worthwhile. If you're new to Blue Highway, it's an essential introduction to one of the best bands the music has to offer." |
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Through the
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1. Life of a Travelin' Man Blue Highway: Jason Burleson, Rob Ickes, Shawn Lane, Tim Stafford, Wayne Taylor *Through the Window of a Train: 2008 IBMA Song of the Year |
Sound Clips Sound clips for tracks 2 & 3 available on the Some Day player, above. Click on the links or loudspeaker icons on the track list at left to hear sound clips (in Windows Media Player format). |
"When it came time to record its eighth album, Blue Highway decided to hunker down at storied Maggard Sound in Big Stone Gap, Va., hoping to conjure the magic that Ralph Stanley and others have made there. History will show the group made a fine decision. Self-penned and self-produced, the album builds on the band's already impressive résumé. . . . It's a testament to its immense talents and friendship that after 14 years together...Blue Highway keeps creating music that connects and entertains." "After fourteen years and eight albums together, Blue Highway possesses an enviable maturity and remarkable stability. . . Blue Highway has achieved a deceptively understated masterpiece with 'Through the Window of a Train.'
. . . Never before has a bluegrass album composed entirely by band members achieved this high a level of song craft from start to finish. Lane, Stafford and Taylor have moved beyond writing great songs, as we have come to expect from them, and entered into the world of genuine art. . . . The title song frames the entire album's content. Blue Highway shows us what they see through the windows of a train in perhaps the best bluegrass album of the young century." |
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Marbletown
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1. Marbletown Blue Highway: Jason Burleson, Rob Ickes, Shawn Lane, Tim Stafford, Wayne Taylor Marbletown: Grammy-nominated, Best Bluegrass Album (2005) |
Sound Clips Sound clip for track 1 available on the Some Day player, above. Click on the links or loudspeaker icons on the track list at left to hear sound clips (in Windows Media Player format). |
"Blue Highway has an eerie way of making bluegrass feel contemporary, edgy even, without abandoning any of the laws laid down by its founding fathers. Much of the credit for that goes to members Tim Stafford and Shawn Lane , who craft songs that pay heed to lyrics and melodies as well as the sterling musicianship for which the music has always been known. Although this outing opens with the blues-tinged "Marbletown" (from the pen of Mark Knopfler), closes with a revved-up train song and haunts the listener with the dark and hurried "Nothing but a Whippoorwill," it's the mellow moments that linger longest in the mind. Stafford's lovely waltz "Quarter Moon" and bittersweet "I Used to Love Parades" are standouts, as are Lane's aching "Tears Fell on Missouri" and bass player Wayne Taylor's "No Home To Go Home To," a timeless weeper about home, hearth and love." | |||
Wondrous Love
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1. Wondrous Love Blue Highway: Jason Burleson, Rob Ickes, Shawn Lane, Tim Stafford, Wayne Taylor Wondrous Love: |
Sound Clips Sound clip for track 1 available on the Some Day player, above. Click on the links or loudspeaker icons on the track list at left to hear sound clips (in Windows Media Player format). |
"You'd think it wouldn't be possible. Blue Highway manages to find a way to raise the bar each time they record a new album. . . . Wondrous Love should not only find its place among the lists of this year's contemporary bluegrass albums, it should be one of the top gospel albums as well. It tops both of my lists thus far. "They've made a nice mix of classic gospel tunes [with] original work [that is] is equally solid. Wayne Taylor's Seven Sundays in a Row tells the tale of roughneck Billy Sparks, . . showing the power of faith in changing the direction of a person's life. Joined in harmony vocals by Sonya Isaacs, it is a song for which the repeat button on the CD player was made. "The album closes with an instrumental arrangement of The Old Rugged Cross featuring the fine work of Ickes on Dobro. Breathtaking. Here's the finest and newest release from one of bluegrass music's premiere bands. It is both musically and spiritually inspiring." —Allen Price, Folk & Acousic Music Exchange
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Still Climbing
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1. Still Climbing Mountains Blue Highway: Jason Burleson, Rob Ickes, Shawn Lane, Tim Stafford, Wayne Taylor |
Sound Clips Sound clips for tracks 1 & 2 available on the Some Day player, above. Click on the links or loudspeaker icons on the track list at left to hear sound clips (in Windows Media Player format). |
"Enlisting Jerry Douglas as producer, Blue Highway produce a convincing, straight-ahead bluegrass stride. Unlike in previous recordings, the quintet turns in an all-original set [and] the songwriting, notably by guitarist Tim Stafford, is never stilted and always melodically memorable. But the lasting pleasures of the band's Rounder debut owe mostly to the members' versatile musicianship. On the playful, self-penned "Monrobro," Rob Ickes's Dobro licks have the tasteful unpredictability of those from masters such as Douglas, while the lucid harmonies on gospel numbers like "Mountain of the Lord" place Blue Highway near the forefront of contemporary bluegrass singing." "[M]y favorite Blue Highway tune [is] "Still Climbing Mountains," which is sort of my personal anthem of perseverance."
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Blue Highway
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1. Born with a Hammer in my Hand Personnel: Rob Ickes, Shawn Lane, Tim Stafford, Wayne Taylor, Tom Adams, with guests Alison Krauss, Lee Ann Womack, Ricky Skaggs, Kenny Malone, and Mark Fain |
Sound Clips Click on the links or loudspeaker icons on the track list at left to hear sound clips (in Windows Media Player format). |
"Certainly extraordinary musicianship and electrifying vocals account for the lion's share of acclaim Blue Highway--comprised of esteemed former sidemen for greats like Doyle Lawson and Alison Krauss--earned with their first two albums. Yet it's apparent from listening to this, their third, that their vivid imagination and emotional depth as both songwriters and song choosers account for their music's haunting originality. There's nary a weak link in these 12 richly diverse and adventurous tracks, which were produced by Ricky Skaggs, but standouts include folk-inspired originals like the mournful "Clay and Ottie," the hard-driving "Born with a Hammer in My Hand," and a jaunty prison song called "Don't Come Out of the Hole." No less thrilling are Blue Highway's soulful adaptations of Dock Boggs's "Troubles Up and Down the Road" and Sting's "I Hung My Head," an eerie tale of casual murder and profound remorse."
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Midnight Storm
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Blue Highway: Jason Burleson, Rob Ickes, Shawn Lane, Tim Stafford, Wayne Taylor
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Sound Clips Click on the links or loudspeaker icons on the track list at left to hear sound clips (in Windows Media Player format). |
"In three short years this band from the heart of Bluegrass country has made quite a name for itself, combining some of the toughest, hard-driving traditional sounds tempered with a sophisticated contemporary edge supplied by Rob Ickes’ wonderful dobro work. If the band was impressive right from the start (and it was), it is just that much better today. They work beautifully together, and, in fact may be at their peak. With each new record, they add a few more signature songs to what is already a superb and enviable repertoire. [T]here is wonderfully strong singing by Shawn Lane, Wayne Taylor, and Tim Stafford. This is today’s Bluegrass at its best—our highest recommendation."
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Wind to the
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Blue Highway: Jason Burleson, Rob Ickes, Shawn Lane, Tim Stafford, Wayne Taylor God Moves in a Windstorm: 1997 IBMA Gospel Recording of the Year |
Sound Clips Click on the links or loudspeaker icons on the track list at left to hear sound clips (in Windows Media Player format). |
"Contemporary bluegrass at its best, this album contains masterful playing, inspired singing, and memorable songwriting. Blue Highway turn in an affecting vocal and instrumental performance on guitarist Tim Stafford's haunting "The Rounder," as well as ripping through a cover of Merle Haggard's "Huntsville" and showcasing their gospel side on a soul-stirring arrangement of the traditional "God Moves in a Windstorm." Shawn Lane's lonesome tenor is pleasing, as are the harmony blends and the lead vocals of the rest of the band. Ace Dobro player Rob Ickes -- voted 1996 Dobro Player of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Awards -- shines throughout, rounding out this band's second effort and making it more than a worthwhile choice.
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It's a Long,
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Blue Highway: Jason Burleson, Rob Ickes, Shawn Lane, Tim Stafford, Wayne Taylor It's a Long, Long Road: 1996 IBMA Album of the Year Award |
Sound Clips Click on the links or loudspeaker icons on the track list at left to hear sound clips (in Windows Media Player format). |
"It’s truly exciting when a new group makes a debut album that’s just about perfect in every way—this band will have an unenviable task in trying to equal this recording in the future, but meanwhile we have a piece here that should thrill every lover of driving. cutting-edge, tradition-based Bluegrass. The group is led by guitarist Tim Stafford, formerly of Dusty Miller and Alison Krauss’ band. He is joined by Rob Ickes on dobro, Shawn Lane on fiddle & mandolin, Wayne Taylor on bass & Jason Burleson on banjo. What makes the album exceptional is powerful vocals by not one but two superb lead singers—Taylor & Lane—plus an unusually fine selection of songs. . . With Stafford & Ickes also adding solid vocal parts this is a band that can hold its own anywhere. [A] wonderfully solid album—one that’s already been played here more than any other disc so far this year."
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Brothership
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1. Brothership Three Ring Circle: Rob Ickes, Andy Leftwich, Dave Pomeroy |
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Three Ring Circle
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1. You Know What I Mean 2. Made in France 3. Sargasso 4. Isn't She Lovely 5. Old Age 6. Thompson's Camp/Oscar's Dream 7. In the Morning 8. Moon over San Bernadino 9. Granola Man 10. Haywire Three Ring Circle: Rob Ickes, Andy Leftwich, Dave Pomeroy 1996 IBMA nominations, |
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"What’s old is new again for bassist Dave Pomeroy, mandolin/fiddle player Andy Leftwich and dobro master Rob Ickes on Three Ring Circle. The thin line between jazz and bluegrass has always been permeable, and the working definition of an acoustic jam-band is not so far removed from this old-fashioned-fusion-Americana. These three guys are monster players; there’s nothing that they can’t handle instrumentally. As a group, they play mostly original material—showcasing huge chops and smart, concise interplay. No one player ever stands out in this well-balanced trio. | |||
