In association with

O Brother, Where Art Thou?
by Various Artists
from Mercury Records Ltd (London)

Features:

• Soundtrack
• Enhanced

Editorial Review:

Joel and Ethan Coen have long established themselves as film stylists without peer: from Blood Simple to Fargo, their movies have never been less than fascinating, and there has never been any question that their films could not have been made by anyone else. In T-Bone Burnett, the producer of the soundtrack for O Brother, Where Art Thou?, they have finally met their match: Burnett's work in assembling a collection of pieces for the Depression-set film is as skilled and entrancing as the film itself.

Despite the presence of Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch, Alison Krauss and bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley, the stars here are the songs themselves, a host of traditional songs augmented by archival recordings. The collection is also a showcase for a host of lesser known and forgotten bluegrass masters: The Cox Family, collaborators with Krauss; Norman Blake, a sideman for Bob Dylan and June Carter Cash; country gospel group The Whites, who once counted Ricky Skaggs as a member (and who, here, cover the Carter Family); and young bluesman Chris Thomas King among them. All bring life to their songs, and the results are sublime--and, at times (Krauss and a choir's take on "Down To The River to Pray", Blake's instrumental version of the oft-repeated "I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow"), downright entrancing.

Some of these songs can be found on Alan Lomax collections. If you enjoy this album, we also highly recommend the Harry Smith Anthology of American Folk Music and Woody Guthrie's Asch Recordings series. --Randy Silver

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

• Stunning, evocative music.
  I'm not from the US, my family hail from Kashmir and I was born in the UK, grew up listening to punk rock but WOW! The soundtrack literally drips with the era and place it hails from; every time I hear a snippet I swear I can feel the heat and smell the wheat - so amazing!

• Diverse selection of old-time music
  The music here, like the film it provides the soundtrack for, is presumably intended to take us back to the thirties. Several songs from that era are featured along with traditional material that would have been popular then. Recorded mainly with state-of-the-art technology (except for some old recordings that are included and re-mastered), the sound quality is far superior to anything available in the thirties. Several different types of music can be found here - blues, gospel, country and folk - mainly... more info

• a lovely mix of traditional music
  Performed by some of today's best singers, this multi-Grammy Award winner is a marvelous addition to any country/folk music collection. Some of these artists are at the top of their field, but some will be "discoveries" for most of us, like the beautiful rendition of "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues" by Chris Thomas King, a versatile young man who is versed in many styles, and here sings in the old blues tradition and does it brilliantly.

  The highlights for me are: The legendary Ralph Stanley, with his... more info

• oh brother where art thou
  first class traditional country and a bit of bluegrass. represents excelent value for money. so many good tracks its hard to pick one that shines above the rest.listen to YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE by norman blake if you are not tapping your toes then someone has nailed your feet to the floor.then there's I'm a man of constant sorrow-Soggy bottom boys Wow!then for a real treat try The Stanley Bros. Angel Band Traditional country at its best. many other great tracks from Alison Krauss the queen of country and the... more info

Tracks:

1. Po'Lazarus - J Carter & The Prisoners
2. Big Rock Candy Mountain - Harry McLintock
3. You Are My Sunshine - Norman Blake
4. Down In The River To Pray
5. I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow - Soggy Bottom Boys
6. Hard Time Killing Floor Blues - Chris Thomas King
7. I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow (inst.) - Norman Blake
8. Keep on the Sunny Side of Life - The Whites
9. I'll Fly Away - Gillian Welch & Alison Kraus
10. Didn't Leave Nobody but the Baby - Emmy Lou Harris,Gillian Welch & Alison Kraus
11. In The Highways - The Peasall Sisters
12. I Am Weary - The Cox Family
13. I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow (inst.) - John Hartford
14. O'Death - Ralph Stanley
15. In the Jailhouse Now - Soggy Bottom Boys
16. I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow (with band) - Soggy Bottom Boys

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