Customer Reviews

Read My Licks

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Now, I'm not really that versed in Chet Atkins lore, but I know for a fact that he's one of the best, if not the best, country guitarist to ever come down the pike. And this album is a great collection of some of his best. With special guests like Dire Strait's Mark Knopfler, it's an amazing collection of great guitar work. Finally, the entire album is worth the price meerly for the amazing instrumental version of Don Mclean's classic Vincent.

I picked up a cassette tape version of this CD at a yard sale, and have nearly worn it out. I'm ordering 2, one for me and one for my father. I'm not well versed in his music either, but now I see why some of the greatest guitarists in the world call Atkins their mentor. I'm not sure what to call it; jazz, light rock? Call it what you want, I call it great.

This is one of Chet's best efforts since 1961's Chet Atkins' Workshop. It's amazing that such a work, one of several collaborations with other notable guitar greats like Mark Knopfler, Steve Wariner, Eric Johnson, and George Benson, would come so late in his career. Inventive variations on standard guitar themes, and tunes that seem to have been written specifically for Chet's interpretation, are the essence of this collection. The ethereal sounds of "Norway" are refreshingly unique in nature and application, especially so in tandem with a huge kick drum (which, after all, Chet pioneered in the '60s) and the guitar harmonies on several tunes with Pat Burgeson are no ordinary encounters. Suzy Bogguss' vocal work on "After You've Gone" is complimented by what contributed to the decades-long successes of so many of Nashville's headline vocalists: Chet's taste and sensitivity at dealing out seamless backup licks always hit the mark.

Add in superb audio quality and solid production, and this album is a tough one to beat.