Nashville, TN -- Compass Records is pleased to announce the release today of Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley's debut album, Before The Sun Goes Down. The album pairs Rob Ickes, the International Bluegrass Music Association's 15-time Dobro Player of Year and 2015 Grammy® nominee, with rising vocalist and guitarist, Trey Hensley. Ickes and Hensley’s collaboration seamlessly blends contemporary bluegrass and the spare studio stylings of classic '60s and '70s country music. It is bound to be a revelation to traditional music fans on several fronts.
Hensley's voice is a throwback to the great country singer icons of the genre's first golden era, at one moment evoking an early George Jones or Merle Haggard and at another, Conway Twitty or Hank Snow. Dobro master Rob Ickes is the perfect musical foil to Hensley's prodigious talent. His Dobro complements Hensley's vocal lines with both finesse and jaw-dropping fire, reminding audiences that he is one of the best to ever play the instrument.
"Trey Hensley is the real deal – I’m one of his biggest fans.” — Marty Stuart
Accompanied by some of the finest musicians in Nashville, the duo tackles a diverse group of songs, putting a fresh spin on the music of Jimmy Martin, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Billy Joe Shaver, Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimmie Rodgers and Bob Wills. Stand out tracks include the title track, an acoustic country blues take on Vaughn's "Pride and Joy," a red hot version of Billy Joe Shaver's "Georgia on a Fast Train," a grassy rendition of Bobby Starnes’ “Lightning,” and the Trey Hensley original "My Way is the Highway."
Check out Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley playing Stevie Ray Vaughn's "Pride and Joy."
Ickes and Hensley’s collaboration seamlessly blends contemporary bluegrass and the spare studio stylings of classic '60s and '70s country music. Hensley's voice is a throwback to the great country singer icons of the genre's first golden era, at one moment evoking an early George Jones or Merle Haggard and at another, Conway Twitty or Hank Snow. Hensley's talent has drawn the attention of more than his fair share of Nashville heavyweights including Marty Stuart who said, "Trey Hensley is the real deal—I'm one of his biggest fans."
Dobro master and 2015 Grammy® nominated Rob Ickes is the perfect musical foil to Hensley's prodigious talent. His Dobro complements Hensley's vocal lines with both finesse and jaw-dropping fire, reminding audiences that he is one of the best to ever play the instrument.
After collaborating with Hensley on an album track from Blue Highway's current release, and inviting him to guest on some live shows, Ickes was inspired for the two musicians to record a studio project together. Before The Sun Goes Down is the result of that effort and it is a unique project in the way it seamlessly blends contemporary bluegrass and the spare studio stylings of classic '60s and '70s country music.
Hensley's voice is something of a miracle, a throwback to the great country singer icons of the genre's first golden era, at one moment evoking an early George Jones or Merle Haggard, and at another, Conway Twitty or Hank Snow. The fact that Hensley is still just in his early 20's makes the experience of listening to him even more astounding.
His talent has drawn the attention of more than his fair share of Music Row heavy weights including Marty Stuart who said: "Trey Hensley is the real deal – I'm one of his biggest fans." Dobro master Rob Ickes is the perfect musical foil to Hensley's prodigious talent, both as a musician and co-producer. His Dobro ornaments Hensley's vocal lines with perfect finesse one moment and with jaw-dropping fire the next, showing why he is one of the best to ever pick up the instrument.
