From: dpthompson@verizon.net   
      
   My sentiments exactly.... Last December we went to Ricky's Xmas concert in   
   Clearwater, Fla., and, while a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon, there was   
   something missing.  It seemed altogether too slick.   
      
   "John Metzger"  wrote in message   
   news:44Djf.2501$fO5.1774@newssvr33.news.prodigy.com...   
   > Holiday Album Review - Ricky Skaggs - A Skaggs Family Christmas, Vol. 1   
   >   
   > For the past two years, Ricky Skaggs along with his band Kentucky Thunder,   
   > his father-in-law's outfit The Whites, and other assorted friends and   
   > relations have staged a series of concerts to celebrate the Christmas   
   > season. Recorded shortly after last year's events, his latest album A   
   > Skaggs Family Christmas: Volume One finds the entourage running through a   
   > balanced blend of spiritual and secular fare, but unfortunately, the end   
   > result is largely a mixed bag. At its worst, the material feels cold and   
   > calculated, but it's peppered with songs that are playfully twang-y.  The   
   > bulk of the outing, however, falls somewhere in middle, and while Skaggs'   
   > approach is often far too conservative, he and his backing band at least   
   > succeed in wrapping the songs in tasteful arrangements that exude warmth   
   > and grace. One just wishes that he had shed some of the regal reverence   
   > that pervades A Skaggs Family Christmas: Volume One in order to cut loose   
   > with his pals and revel in the joy of the holidays.   
   >   
   > This is an excerpt. To read the complete review, please visit:   
   >   
   > http://www.musicbox-online.com/rs-xmas.html   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)