Slide City
Along withJerry Douglas, Rob Ickes is the hottest Dobro player in the biz. He has been the most striking component ofBlue Highway's bluegrass success, and with his second solo album, Ickes pushes further into slippery zones of jazz and fusion. The structure of the opening original, "Dwight's Blues," is wholly bebop, Ickes trading solos with pianist John Burr and bassist Derek Jones. When approaching his musical roots, he transforms Blind Faith's "Can't Find My Way Home" into a minor-key bluegrass blues, withTim O'Brien's intense vocal reach nearly outdistancing Ickes's playing. 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 makesSlide Cityworth exploring--whatever Ickes's bluegrass fans might think of the genre shifts.--Roy Kasten