It’s hard to think of a more appropriate artist to close this year’s (or any, really) Ryman bluegrass series than Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder. It does no disservice to any of the other fine artists who have helped bring bluegrass to wider audiences to say that at this point, Skaggs has done the job more persistently — and with just as much enthusiasm, determination and talent — as anybody else. And while he and his plus-sized ensemble continue to serve up some of the best hardcore just-like-the-classics bluegrass around, he seems to be more at ease these days, embracing his entire catalog — including the country hits, the edgier bluegrass of Boone Creek, the old-time tunes he learned as a kid and much more — with a voice as plaintive and compelling as it’s ever been.
— Jon Weisberger