Night Flyer (Rounder, 2008)

Tony Rice is one of the most influential musicians of this generation. His smooth vocal style and one-of-a-kind guitar picking, brought countless new fans to bluegrass and acoustic music. Alison Krauss lists Rice as one of her main influences.

Rice is still a trail-blazer on the guitar, though vocal problems prevent him from singing these days. This is a collection of some of his best work from the '80s and '90s plus 3 previously unreleased cuts. Green Light On The Southern, Mickey Newbury's Why You Been Gone So Long, Ian Tyson's Four Strong Winds Joni Mitchell's Urge For Going and James Taylor's Me & My Guitar and Mary Chapin Carpenter's John Wilkes Booth, a deft musical profile of Lincoln's assassin, also is included.

Rice's musical style was augmented by the stellar Dobro work of long-time collaborator and one-time bandmate, Jerry Douglas. Rice's music never gets old. It's great to hear these songs again. The two, never-before-released songs include Pony, featuring Rice on vocal with only piano accompaniment and the self-penned, Never Meant To Be."