Pikelny’s last project, Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe, brought him a handful of awards from the International Bluegrass Music Association in 2014. The album won rave notices both in and outside of bluegrass for its strikingly accurate transcriptions of Baker’s fiddle playing.

Universal Favorite is a solo project in the truest sense of the word: some of the tracks feature unaccompanied banjo, and on others, Pikelny plays other instruments. And in a first for the music industry, he also sings. This will be all Noam, all the time.