The Great Dobro Sessions (Sugar Hill SH-CD-2206): If you were on a desert island with one CD this would be it.

Lovingly produced by Tut Taylor and Jerry Douglas, this recording has it all. The old time country of Oswald Kirby to the eight string bossa nova of Mike Auldrige. In between, the who's who of lap style, resonator guitar. Twenty one cuts.

The reso players: Mike Auldridge, Curtis Burch, Jerry Douglas, Josh Graves, Rob Ickes, Oswald Kirby, Stacy Phillips, Tut Taylor, Sally Van Meter, Gene Wooten

Tone Poems III (Acoustic Disc ACD-42): Produced by David Grisman, Mike Auldridge and Bob Brozman, this is a tour de force of all things resophonic. The three players use almost sixty different resonator instruments on twenty tunes. A remarkable feat and the booklet photography alone is worth the price of the CD. Just stunning!!!

Resocasters: Who are the Resocasters?? Why, they are Mike Auldridge, Jim Heffernan and Hal Rugg who just nail it on this twelve tune romp through swing, pop, gospel and other country and bluegrass flavored music. A stunning trio playing a variety of resonator guitars, including Hal Rugg's D9 Ped-A-Bro. I was thunderstruck when I heard this disc and fell off of my chair when Mr. Rugg launched into the Ped-A-Bro break on the Auldridge classic Rock Bottom

If you buy one resonator guitar project this year of 2002, let this be the one!

These guys use a great backup band and stellar vocals are provided by Joe Diffie, Sonya Issacs and others.

Treasures Untold features Mike on the six and eight string resonator guitars. Mike sings and swings his way through a 1940's and 50's, country flavored mix. This disc also features buddy John Starling and the legendary Doc Watson.

Mike is playing with the fine trio of Auldridge, Bennett and Gaudreau. Make no mistake. This will be classic contemporary bluegrass and Mike at his finest.

Fred Travers, currently with the Seldom Scene, released this Pinecastle CD (PRC 1002 CD) in 1992. I've descibed his playing as "Mike Auldridge with an attitude". This CD covers everything from Tin Pan Alley - Bluegrass- to the Beatles.

Consider Fred's outstanding lead and tenor vocals to be a bonus on this project.

What a pleasure to see Buck Graves with a new release. I never much cared for his previous solo projects, but, this Rebel CD (REB-CD-1747) is outstanding! This is fourteen Graves classics recorded using the best of 90's technology and Josh is in great form here.

This is an opportunity to hear and learn from the first Bluegrass dobrologist.

Junior Barber's solo release, "Stone Bottom Boogie (Hay Holler HH-CD-1337) is a showcase for his melody oriented style, so clean and bright. The CD offers fourteen powerful cuts, solidly in the bluegrass camp. Junior is the reso phenom with the wildly popular Gibson Brothers band. They/he puts on one hell of a show.

See them when they come to your town.

Jerry's great on Sugar Hill (SHCD-3875) is a technical tour de force. Jerry alternates between resonator, Weissenborn and lap steel guitars. The CD features also Sonny Landreth on metal bodied reso and slide guitar, as well as Tim O'Brien, Steve Earle, John Cowan and Maura O'Connell on vocals.

Not for the strict traditionalist. Prepare to have your eyes (and ears) opened.

Phil Ledbetter is the reso guitarist with JD Crowe and The New South. His Mid-Knight (MK-CD-1120) release is a superior showing. The ten tunes on this project run from Big Mon to EMD (one of my personal favorites). Phil even has the courage to pull off a version of House of the Rising Sun that doesn't mimic the classic Mike Auldrige track.

Great fun...great tunes. I hope Phil has another release in the works.

Rob Ickes, reso guy with the award winning Blue Highway, has released a wonderful solo project on Rounder (CD 0402). Rob's style relies heavily on blues licks and lightning fast rolls; barely derivitive. My favorite here is the Buck Graves tune "Flatt Lonesome". Rob plays this as a nasty, private pleasure; Great fun!!

Look for lots more from this monster talent.

Rob Icke's latest, "Slide City" (Rounder CD 0452) is a complete departure from his bluegrass works. The CD showcases Rob's urban (and urbane) influences and owes more to jazz great Herbie Hancock then to Bill Monroe. A great CD. Buy it! You'll be shocked at what a resopnator guitar can do. This is a good thing.

Rob's latest, "What It Is" (Rounder CD 0452) is is another out-of-the-box project, jazz oriented. I can't say enough about how Rob has matured as an all round musician. I am in awe every time I spin this disc!!

Leroy Mac origianlly released this as an LP in 1978. Mack is best known for his participation with the legendary Ketucky Colonels, for which he played 1958-1964. Leroy's approach is influenced by Josh Graves, but, much....much more so. It is a pleasure to see this released on CD.

A newcomer to resonator guitar, pedal steel ace Gary Morse is no stranger to great country and swing. gary plays a seven string Beard guitar that sounds sweet or staccato as he romps through some great original and swing standards. Whew, Gotta hear this one again!

Resophonics Anonymous is a compilation of nine western U.S. and Canadian top players. This is another "stretch" of resonator guitar music featuring genres that span from old time to Broadway. The players are Doug Cox, Michael Dunn, Orville Johnson, Marty Lepore, Mike Lundstrom, Sue Murphy, Fairley Sparks, Tab Tabscott and Chuck Togstad. Wonderful stuff that just doesn't fit into any one category. Recommended for all students and fans of the instrument.