Sparks are bound to fly when two Grammy Award winners get together for a musical collaboration. Pianist Hornsby and multi - instrumentalist Skaggs build an interpretive bridge into adventurous Americana territory. First, there are the diverse roots and influences that each brings to the table. Second, there is the strong original material that each contributes. Finally, there is the instrumental cohesiveness of Skaggs' regular Kentucky Thunder band members. Sung by Skaggs or Hornsby, the songs don't necessarily strive for arrangements that emphasize vocal harmony. Rather, they tend to impart rhythmic intensity and the unique instrumental flair of various genres. This is largely the result of the musical union of piano (and even some minimal organ) with the likes of banjo, mandolin, accordion, fiddle, guitar, bass, jaw harp, resonator guitar, drums and more. It's a fascinating mixture that conveys energy, velocity and excitement. If one questions the appropriateness of piano breaks in hoedown music, then you need to hear "Sheep Shell Corn" to prove that it can be successfully done. Hornsby has a best - selling 4 - CD product out called "Intersections," and Hornsby and Skaggs have taped a "Crossroads" show for Country Music Television (CMT). So, in a sense this album reinforces their enthusiastic intent to provide strong cutting edge music that fuses pop and bluegrass in a place where different genres meet amiably.

Hornsby's reinvented hit "Mandolin Rain" makes reference to the bluegrass band that "takes the chill from the air ‘til they play the last song," but the song is light years from your daddy Bill Monroe's bluegrass. Ricky Skaggs' instrumental "Stubb" offers spicy Cajun flavoring. The CD jacket includes lyrics for all of the songs. With "The Dreaded Spoon," who would've thought an entire song could be written from a kid's perspective about having to share his ice cream and cookies with the old man? The references to the "flash of a knife" and "jumpsuit of pain" in Hornsby's melodic "Crown of Jewels" indicates that he's telling a story of murder, deceit and downfall. The storyteller's "A Night on the Town" is a ballad that sets the stage for a showdown between some country and city boys that also leaves a scar. Skaggs' major contributions come in the way of arrangements for "Across the Rocky Mountain" and "Hills of Mexico." While both are seminal, this album is an interesting dichotomy to the old - time brother duet country music that Ricky Skaggs and Tony Rice put out in 1980. Various forks in the road over the course of three decades can lead musicians in many directions.

Sonic alchemy such as this calls for cross - fertilization and transmutation between genres. Under the right circumstances, alchemy can also yield gold. Besides a few traditional offerings, the set also includes some interesting material from Gordon Kennedy/Phil Madeira and James Johnson/Alonzo Miller. From the former, "Come on Out" is a call to take control of your own fate by reaching for the sky, and the arrangement features Kennedy's resonator guitars. From the latter pair of songwriters, "Super Freak" (originally sung by Rick James) is certainly a wild and kinky way to close the album with a tale about a special kind of band groupie who likes incense, wine and candles. John Anderson's ad-lib vocals lay right in alongside Hornsby and Skagg's. Overall, the collaboration of Skaggs and Hornsby is a memorable one that is full of musical individualism, provocation and moxie. (Joe Ross)