Don Rigsby’s four decades as an essential artist within today’s bluegrass realms makes a compilation like this well worth the wait. Having worked with such notable ensembles as The Bluegrass Cardinals, J.D. Crowe & The New South, The Charlie Sizemore Band, Vern Gosdin’s road band, and more recently, the Lonesome River Band and the bluegrass supergroup Longview, Rigsby’s taken his place in the highest echelons of superstar status. His current efforts as part of Balsam Range, Southern Legacy, and his own band, The Fly-By Knights, demonstrate the fact that he’s never been content to simply rest on his laurels.
Kentucky Troubadour: The Rebel Collection, offers an opportunity to look back on Rigsby’s career, and while a 15-song set hardly begins to cover it all, it does a decent job of documenting Rigby’s recordings for Rebel Records over the past quarter century or so. It draws primarily from his solo albums Hillbilly Heartache, The Voice of God and Doctor’s Orders, the latter a tribute to his mentor Dr. Ralph Stanley, which features a duet with Stanley himself on the track titled Daughter of Geronimo.
Bluegrass historians will likely appreciate the re-recordings of two confirmed classics, Empty Old Mailbox and Bad Day in Akron. In addition, the album features a new single, Big Train, a remake of a Don Reno and Bill Harrell standard that offers another outstanding addition to Rigsby’s resume. Assorted selections from his various ensembles — Longview, Band of Ruhks and Rock County — are also included.
Those who are somehow unfamiliar with Rigsby’s work will find Kentucky Troubadour a worthy introduction. The tender tones of Harvest of the Heart, Hillbilly Heartache, I Hear My Mother Weeping, and These Golden Fields serve to emphasize the sentiment and emotion that have always been an essential component within Rigsby’s resume. Yet, at the same time, there’s no shortage of revelry and celebration, as emphasized in such songs as Wild Geese Cry Again, My ‘Ol Tattoo, and Mary Jane Won’t You Be Mine. The songs that fall in-between — Any Bar In Birmingham, Charged With Being Christian, and The Gospel According To Luke — are equally engaging.
Indeed, as one might expect, there’s no shortage of melody and merriment shared in these songs, yet another sign of the verve and versatility Rigby has at his command. Consider this a master class in adroit execution.
