Earls Of Leicester The Earls Of Leicester (CD)

(Rounder Records) 14 tracks

All-Star tribute to Flat & Scruggs with: Jerry Douglas, Shawn Camp, Barry Bales, Tim O'Brien, Johnny Warren and Charlie Cushman!
What sounds like the title of a BBC history series is actually the name of a new band by Jerry Douglas that pays tribute to the two bluegrass pioneers Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs. 
“I've been waiting all my life to make these recordings,” says the 58-year-old master of the resonator guitar (commonly known as the dobro) about the untitled debut album of his new bluegrass all-star dream band. In the sextet, Douglas has recruited musicians who are all household names in the bluegrass and country scene: Shawn Camp (lead vocals and guitar), Charlie Cushman (banjo and guitars), Tim O'Brien (vocals and mandolin), Johnny Warren (fiddle) and Barry Bales (vocals and bass). 
The album's repertoire consists of 14 timeless classics from the Flatt and Scruggs songbook. Including such thrilling numbers as “Big Black Train”, “Don't Let Your Deal Go Down”, “Shuckin' The Corn”, “Dig A Hole In The Meadow” and “Dim Lights, Thick Smoke”, the Earls Of Leicester inject fresh energy into them while striving to maintain the emotional authenticity, instrumental prowess and vibrant creative spirit that made the originals such indestructible classics.