Surrounding himself with top-notch musicians and with excellent tunes, the influential and highly respected Emerson demonstrates his immaculate taste and consummate technical ability on the 5-string banjo on this neat all instrumental recording. Tony Rice's guitar work and Jerry Douglas' dobro are particularly outstanding and get plenty of play without stealing the show. Rice --who takes lovely breaks on just about every tune --referred to this record as "magic" in his recent biography "Still Inside". Jimmy Gaudreau (mandolin), Jim Buchanan (fiddle), and Mark Schatz (bass) also contribute nicely to a well-textured, full bodied sound. Happily, Emerson has included solid new recordings of his standout older pieces that have become standards over the years, SWEET DIXIE and THEME TIME. The other 8 tunes are all Emerson originals and good vehicles for his straight, driving Scruggs-style. A brilliant record.
