Prior to the formation of the trio
Three Ring Circle, its members, Dobro player
Rob Ickes, mandolinist and fiddle player
Andy Leftwich, and bassist
Dave Pomeroy, had each built up an impressive résumé. In addition to four albums as a leader,
Ickes was a member of
the Rarely Herd and
Blue Highway, and had played on sessions for dozens of artists including
Mary Chapin Carpenter,
Alison Krauss,
Chris LeDoux,
Patty Loveless,
Reba McEntire,
the Oak Ridge Boys,
Kenny Rogers,
SHeDAISY, and
Steve Wariner;
Leftwich's credits included his solo album Ride and work with
the Chieftains,
Lynn Anderson, and
Ricky Skaggs; and
Pomeroy, the most experienced of the three, had recorded with a too-numerous-to-mention who's who of prominent country and folk artists dating back 30 years. In addition to the versatility required of session players, all three have shown a propensity for bringing in other styles, especially pop and jazz, to mix with their bluegrass roots.
Ickes, for example, has played on many of those
Pickin' On albums of bluegrass arrangements of the work of pop stars, and has put
Herbie Hancock and
Stevie Winwood songs on his solo albums. That pattern of progressive bluegrass is followed on
Three Ring Circle's self-titled debut, which features the trio's renditions of tunes by
Jeff Beck and
Stevie Wonder in addition to originals. The playing is impeccable, of course, with lightning runs and exciting interplay. This is an album for lovers of bluegrass who are willing to have it incorporate other styles and do so with authority. ~ William Ruhlmann