Sails

Some older fans were turned off by the direction Chet Atkins’ music took in the '80s, but his exploration of smooth, jazz-inflected atmospheres was a continuation of a search for new ideas that had started in the '50s. The albums he released then were initially decried for their nontraditional experiments, but Chet was an innate seeker: he never ended his search for the new. When he could have fallen back on his reputation as America’s favorite country fingerpicker, he released Sails, which is at once his smoothest work and his most audacious. Chet had always been as interested in atmosphere as he was in songs. No matter how ethereal the setting, Chet’s playing retains its down-home personality, as evidenced by “Waltz for the Lonely” and “Laffin’ at Life.” If you decide the smooth jazz songs just aren't your cup of tea, you can still marvel at “Wobegon (The Way It Used to Be),” an unadorned solo performance that has all the precision and elegance of Atkins’ seminal early work.