Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder - Soldier of the Cross (CD)

Album Details: Soldier of the Cross

Release Date:09/14/1999
Label:Skaggs Family
UPC:669890500122

Other Available Formats: Soldier of the Cross

User Reviews: Soldier of the Cross

  • Overall:

    Lyrics:

    Music:

    My All Time Favorite Album!!

    By hansondawg77  Jan 10, 2006 | 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

    Pros: Everything!!

    Cons: Nothing!

    This is it... My all time favorite album! It's true. I have been collecting music since I bought my first 45 rpm record in 1978 which shall remain nameless...[OK it was "Magnet and Steel" by Walter Egan... top ten at the time... if you... must know LOL] BUT I can honestly say this is my very favorite album, bar none. When Ricky Skaggs [who is always great and has never had a bad album anyway] formed his own Skaggs Family Record Label back around 1999, his first project was something he had never been allowed to do before: A Gospel album. Now gospel albums are certainly not unusual in our great nation today, but Ricky's SOLDIER OF THE CROSS is anything but usual!! From the very first cut, which is simply Ricky blowing out some nice notes on a genuine Ram's horn Shofar he had bought in Israel, you know you are listening to some thing special indeed. What follows is an amazing mix of Hymns, bluegrass folk gospel tunes, and amazing new songs, such as the chilling "Seven Hillsides," a story song about a moutain preacher preaching 7 funerals in one day in World War II. The album ends with an accapella spiritual based on Psalm 60: "Lead Me to The Rock." It always brings tears to my eyes each time I hear it! If you are a Christian, or a bluegrass Gospel fan, or even if you just like good authentic American roots music, you WILL love this record. I highly recommend it! Read more Less

  • Overall:

    One of the best Gospel/Bluegrass albums

    By Robbie S  Jan 7, 2000

    I'm a true fan of Bluegrass and also of Ricky skaggs and I know what true Bluegrass is. This is one of the best if not THE BEST Gospel albums yet and he does a fantastic job on it. I'm a Preacher boy and I know when some means it and when they don't... and ricky put all his heart in to this album so that the world would know that he is a SOLDIER OF THE CROSS, and is not afreid to stand up and proclaim the gospel of JESUS Christ to the world. Most of the Music today is "TRASH" and is running our suciety today. I would pefer this album to anyboudy that is a SOLDIER OF THE CROSS Read more Less

Pro Reviews: Soldier of the Cross

  • All Music Guide

    Ricky Skaggs continues to embody the very spirit of the late Bill Monroe on his latest release, a 14-song collection of gospel favorites, delivered with all the bluegrass precision you have come to expect from the multi-talented Skaggs. From the sounding of a ram's horn at the album's outset, perhaps as a spiritual call to arms, the CD delivers a moving set of tunes, beginning with the title track, "Soldier of the Cross," a Lorin Rowan composition, and moving into Bill Monroe's own "A Voice From on High." Ralph Stanley's "The Darkest Hour" is a special treat, and marks the second time Skaggs has recorded this particular tune. He played and sang backup for Emmylou Harris' version of the song in 1978, but his version shines brightly in and of itself. One of the true classics here is "Gone Home," the old Bill Carlisle tune made famous in the 1950s by Flatt Scruggs. Anyone who grew up in the South is bound to have heard at least half a dozen versions of this one, but none more pristine th...at the version included here. Also outstanding is the somber "Seven Hillsides," an absolutely powerful lyric that tells the story of a life from a preacher's perspective, and "Are You Afraid to Die," which includes an actual audio clip from one of Billy Graham's crusades. Closing out the CD is an a cappella rendition of the traditional "Lead Me to the Rock." Skaggs' soaring tenor voice sends chills up the spine with this faith-inspired vocal, and it is the perfect end-cap for an outstanding bluegrass album, as well as an inspirational gospel recording, all rolled into one. - Michael B. Smith, All Music Guide Read more Less

Compare Prices: Soldier of the Cross

Store Store Rating Price Notes/Coupons

Amazon.com

1366 Ratings

(622 Reviews)

Write a review

$12.99Total Price N/A New Item get free shipping on orders over $25! Go to Store

OLDIES.com

6 Ratings

(4 Reviews)

Write a review

$11.88Total Price N/A New Item Go to Store

Fetch A Disc

Write a review

$11.39Total Price N/A New Item Go to Store

Rate & Write a Review: Soldier of the Cross

All fields marked with * are required
0 out of 5.0 stars
0 out of 5.0 stars
0 out of 5.0 stars
Maximum of 4,000 characters
Cancel

Rate & Write a Review: Soldier of the Cross

Thank You. Your review has been posted.
View your postClose

Biography

Ricky Skaggs

By the time he was in his midthirties, Kentuckian Ricky Skaggs had already produced a career's worth of music. At age seven he appeared on TV with Flatt Scruggs; at 15 he was a member of legendary Ralph Stanley's bluegrass band (with fellow teenager Keith Whitley). None of his '80s peers, male or female, had better musical credentials than Skaggs. The term "multi-talen... Read more