What a pleasant surprise! I just listened to this new CD by Rob Ickes and I think it's excellent. The band sounds really good. All the instruments are well recorded and sound great (including the saxophone, an instrument I have a very narrow tolerance for).
I would describe Rob's playing as clean, joyful and bouncy. It really drives forward, there's a feeling of momentum, like running down a hill and not being able to stop. It's sophisticated without being pretentious, rarely lugubrious (a trait common to steel guitar playing that affects even the best of us at times), and it's true to the roots of the dobro--he's not trying to make it sound like something it's not, instead he shows how well the natural sound can work in a different context. For example, the matching melody lines he plays with the saxophone player blend really nicely (although the liner notes seem to indicate that he's just as surprised as anyone that the sound works!).
I know this CD has been talked about here before, but in case you haven't heard it yet, definitely check it out.
-Travis[This message was edited by Travis Bernhardt on 17 September 2003 at 03:09 PM.]
