The Unbroken Circle - The Musical Heritage Of The Carter Family
The title of this tribute to theCarter Familyalludes to their best-known spiritual, "Will the Circle Be Unbroken." While that standard isn't included here, the roster of artists renews the spirit of the circle, a familial legacy that encompasses Mother Maybelle's daughterJune Carter Cash, June's husbandJohnny Cash, Johnny's daughterRosanne Cash, and generations of artists inspired by them. Highlights range from the yelp ofGeorge Joneson "Worried Man Blues" to the surge of rockabilly energy inJohn Prine's "Bear Creek Blues" to the banjo-driven, fiddle-tinged bluegrass of theDel McCoury Band's "Rambling Boy." As for the family's performances, Rosanne brings a depth of expression to "The Winding Stream" while a sense of mortality pervades Johnny's "Engine One-Forty-Three" and June's "Hold Fast to the Right." AndWillie Nelson's solo reading of "You Are My Flower" gives it room to bloom. Album producer John Carter Cash (son of Johnny and June, grandson of Maybelle) makes every one of these tracks feel like family.--Don McLeese