Let's Kick Some Ass (Bones, 2009)

Ross Nickerson is a solid five-string banjo player, mostly in the Scruggs style. Most of the members of Blue Highway serve as his backup band, and they turn in their usual professional performance.

The recording - Nickerson's first in more than six years - does not break much new ground and consists of standards such as Little Maggie, Bluegrass Breakdown and Jerusalem Ridge. However, they are done with precision and serve as accurate interpretation of the originals. The music serves as a reference for new listeners to bluegrass banjo to have an opportunity to become familiar with the genre's history. While not original work, it is an authentic rendering. For the most part, Nickerson remained in the bluegrass box, but demonstrated his versatility with the old swing tune favorite Lady Be Good.

Nickerson tackles the backbone of the banjo repertoire and does it right.