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| Ricky Skaggs’ ‘Mosaic,’ ‘Solo’ Nominated For Three Grammy Awards Once again demonstrating his ability to deliver at the highest level in various musical genres, 14-time Grammy winner Ricky Skaggs' two very different albums 'Mosaic' and 'Ricky Skaggs Solo: Songs My Dad Loved' have earned three nominations for the 53rd Annual GRAMMY awards. 'Solo' and 'Mosaic'' picked up nominations for: -Best Traditional Folk Album for 'Ricky Skaggs Solo: Songs My Dad Loved' (Skaggs Family Records) -Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album' for 'Mosaic' (Skaggs Family Records) -Best Gospel Song for 'Mosaic' standout "Return to Sender, " written by 'Mosaic' co-producer Gordon Kennedy. 'Mosaic' is Skaggs' return to a full band sound, a style that made him one of the best-selling artists in Country history with an incredible string of 12 #1 Country hits and 12 Top 20 Country albums. He worked closely with fellow GRAMMY winner Kennedy to create an album that mixes elements of Country music with Beatles-esque melody and lyrics that speak to Skaggs' faith, making "music that is in my head and in my heart, " says Skaggs. The album has received critical kudos, with NPR Fresh Air saying "the pieces don't just fit together on 'Mosaic' — they lock into place with a firmness, an inevitability, that sounds as though chance or faith or fate had nothing to do with it. I prefer another, even simpler term: art." The Associated Press calls the album "a reminder that, in a larger context, [Skaggs'] career has often found him experimenting with his influences — and always following his creative heart. That heart is on full display here." 'Solo, ' which is Skaggs' tribute to his father Hobert Skaggs who began teaching a 3-year-old Ricky to play the deep mountain music featured on the album, earned him his fifth consecutive #1 on the Billboard Bluegrass albums chart upon it's release in September 2009. In their 4 1/2-star review, Country Weekly says 'Solo' is a singular pleasure, " while Billboard says the album "truly feels like an intimate fly-on-the wall field recording." Skaggs' label Skaggs Family Records picked up four overall nominations, as Cherryholmes' "Tattoo Of A Smudge" received a nomination for Best Country Instrumental Performance. write your comments about the article :: © 2010 Jazz News :: home page |