O Sister! The Women's Bluegrass Collection
The bluegrass bandwagon continues to roll in 2001. This collection  attempts to capitalize on the breakthrough success of theO Brother, Where Art  Thou?soundtrack. Drawn from Rounder's rich catalog, the 19-cut sampler  of female singing, fiddling, and picking extends from an era when women were a  novelty in this male-dominated music category through the popular crossover  ascendance of such contemporary artists (andO Brotherfavorites) asAlison Kraussand theCox Family. Harmonies  from the likes ofRhonda  Vincentand theStevens  sisterssoar toward the heavens, while the earthier strains ofHazel DickensandGinny Hawkerare more  reflective of the music's hardscrabble roots. Though Wilma Lee Cooper's "You  Tried to Ruin My Name" has all the subtlety of a hog-calling contest, such  rawness is about as real as this music gets.--Don McLeese