In order of appearance on the album, Morse pays his respects to the following:

Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young - a gorgeous, specially tuned acoustic guitar

Aerosmith - Walk This Sweet Emotion.... and these go to eleven; need I say more?

Enya - Yes. Weird. But not that weird: Morse has always had a dark celtic wind blowing through his soul, and this flowing ambient meditation called Cool Wind, Green Hills gives a moment of profound pause to this CD. The sound of his stereo guitar flowing like an undulating fog-covered moor will bring tears to your eyes.

Emerson, Lake, and Palmer - B3 samples. 5/4 time signature. This is Tarkus on steroids.

Yardbirds/Brit Pop - a jingly jaunt down Carnaby Street around 1966 — when Jimmie Page and Jeff Beck were stirring up the Mersey Beat with a little feedback.

Z Z Top - That little ol' band from Texas has stuck to their blues roots over almost four decades. And since Morse prefers to work with a trio, this homage is a natural.

Genesis - Keyboards, drums. Oh, those drums. And you can almost hear Phil Collins wailing in the background, but thankfully, that's just you hallucinating from the past. Genesis with no vocals: what's not to love?

Country Western/Bluegrass - Morse, bein' a southern boy, knows his way around a hoe-down, and this song is probably my favorite. It captures the lightning speed of a great bluegrass mandolin solo, while at the same time, it sounds like a scene from a Clint Eastwood/Morricone film. You gotta hear it to believe it!

Bach - If anyone has any doubts that Morse might be the 21st century version of Paganini for guitar, this tune should dispel all doubters. An incredible fugue that is so technically difficult, it's hard to imagine anyone could play it without three or four hands.

Spirit/Ted Nugent - Randy California and the Motor city madman... in one song.

Doug Kershaw - This Cajun fiddle player was popular during the late 60s and early 70s. His soulful southern fiddle crossed over into the rock audience, and he appeared at Avalon Ballroom and other such venues to get the stoned hippies tappin' their toes. This is a loving tribute to that style of music.

Lastly, who else?

LYNYRD SKYNYRD - Morse played with them a few times, and this song perfectly captures the sound of two different guitar players trading licks over the solid beat of a southern jam.

Overall, this might be Morse's best work --- the culmination of a long career, dozens of masterful albums, and a technical and compositional evolution that has reached its apex. Treat yourself to the first CD masterpiece to arrive in 04.

And by all means, CRANK IT UP!

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For more on Steve Morse including tour schedule.