photo by Mike Carroll

Check out this awesome Bluegrass version of Bruce Hornsby’s hit “The Way It Is” by Hornsby and Ricky Skaggs!  This was performed on Conan this past Thursday night.

Cluck Ol’ Hen is a fun, upbeat, live-recorded Bluegrass album featuring Ricky Skaggs, Bruce Hornsby, and some mighty fine pickin’.  The album starts off with the fast-paced “How Mountain Girls Can Love,” and from the instrumental “Bluegrass Breakdown” to a Bluegrass-version remake of Hornsby’s pop/soft rock hit, “The Way It Is,” this is a great album and a must-have for any Bluegrass fan.

The album features 11 songs and 8 intro tracks of them talking to the crowd and bantering back-and-forth before some of the songs.  It was recorded on the last night of their tour in Omaha, Nebraska, and hit stores on August 20th.

My favorite song on the album is the remake of “The Way It Is,” and I also really liked the infusion of the piano in a couple of the songs…gave them a nice added touch.

Track Listing:

1. Intro:  How Mountain Girls Can Love
2. How Mountain Girls Can Love
3. Intro:  Toy Heart
4. Toy Heart
5. Intro:  Bluegrass Breakdown
6. Bluegrass Breakdown
7. Intro:  Darling Corey
8. Darling Corey
9. The Way It Is
10. Intro:  The Dreaded Spoon
11. The Dreaded Spoon
12. Gulf of Mexico Fishing Boat Blues
13. Intro:  Sally Jo
14. Sally Jo
15. Little Maggie
16. Intro:  White Wheeled Limousine
17. White Wheeled Limousine
18. Intro:  Cluck Ol’ Hen
19. Cluck Ol’ Hen