Toby Walker has taken another giant step toward enshrinement in the pantheon 
of the world's greatest fingerstyle guitarists. The title of this CD refers to its set 
of seemingly favorite songs, snugly fitting Toby's style as well as functioning as a 
pun on his prodigious "picking."

While Walker needs no help in making his instrument seem like a one-man-band, the 
album benefits, in places, by backup fiddling by Jay Ungar. The first two tracks are of 
the ribald nature that Toby delights in, "Big Meat Shakin' On The Bone" and "Your 
Buggy Don't Ride Like Mine." It's easy to picture a smile on Toby's face as he romps 
through these two.

Toby rides through Chet Atkins' neighborhood with his version of the Hank Williams classic,
"Hey Good Lookin'." There are jazz licks and a middle section  featuring Ungar's fiddle 
that are reminiscent of Django Reinhardt and Stphane Grappelli.
Several examples of Toby's slide technique on the National steel-body resophonic guitar, 
"Little Dixie," "Special Rider Blues" and "Hard Times Killing Floor," potently display 
his enormous feel for the instrument and the its tremendous capacity for emotional expression.

For this listener, the crown jewel on this CD is "Mind Your Own Business." On a recent 
afternoon stroll, I had a hard time keeping my jaw from dragging on the sidewalk. Those 
vise-grip pliers he calls hands hit the bass strings like a jackhammer while he flies over the 
melody line, nailing every note cleanly. Fingers rolling, he's doubling and tripling down in places. 

"Gal, I'm with wears her hair up high, and all the guys whistle when she walks on by, 
I said, mind your own business… mind your own business and you won't be minding mine…" 

The music has a dark tone, a counterpoint to its jaunty pace. On the lengthy instrumental break, 
I can hear him breathing, short, staccato breaths, readying for the next onslaught of notes. 
It reminds me a little of the snorting sound my father, an ex-boxer, made when he used to
demonstrate how to move in to knock a man out. I made a mental note not to glance with 
too much appreciation at Toby's attractive wife.

For anyone who thinks he's all about speed, there are some eye-openers. Three songs in particular, 
all Walker originals, show his mastery of nuance. "Generosity Rag" and "Leon's Little Girl" are instrumentals 
that swing gently but with passion. The album's final track, "The Secret" is a smooth, slow glide that conveys 
the steep emotional drop of a personal relationship gone astray. The heartbreak is there in both his voice and guitar.

All in all, this CD has already gotten a lot of repeat plays on my Ipod and promises to get a lot more.

- Richard Cuccaro