Marty Stuart describes his brand of country / bluegrass as "hillbilly music with a thump," but it's really much more. On his latest MCA release Love and Luck, Stuart fuses and utilizes the many styles from his past, which includes stints with Lester Flatt, Johnny Cash, Neil Young, and Bob Dylan. There are doses of country rock in "I Ain't Giving Up on Love." Blues shows up on the title track "Kiss Me, I'm Gone." You Can Walk All Over Me" is honky tonk. And there is even a wild-picking instrumental with Stuart on mandolin and guests Stuart Duncan on fiddle and Bela Fleck on banjo ("Marty Stuart Visits the Moon").

Love and Luck combines elements of country roots with the contemporary style that has helped country re-emerge as a force in the music industry. After a highly successful tyour with Travis Tritt last year, Staurt found it difficult to repeat the success he enjoyed with his gold-selling album This One's Gonna Hurt You. In fact, he put off the recording of the follow-up several months until he found the right feel to his new collection of songs. It looks like the waiting paid off for Stuart.

Reviewer:  Don Kroeller Jr., courtesy of Flash Magazine.