Bona Fide Bluegrass & Mountain Music
Clearly inspired by the commercial breakthrough of theO Brother, Where Art  Thou?soundtrack, this high-spirited anthology presents 18 songs from  the vaults of RCA/Bluebird, offering a crash course in the evolution of  old-time country and mountain music into bluegrass. Opening the album is Harry  McClintock's 1928 recording of "The Big Rock Candy Mountain," which highlighted  theO Brotherfilm, followed by a couple of traditional classics from  country's seminal  artists--Jimmie Rodgers's  "In the Jailhouse Now" and theCarter Family's "Keep on  the Sunny Side"--that were revived by others on the hit soundtrack. Five tracks  proceed to detail the musical progression ofBill Monroe, the Father  of Bluegrass Music, while other staples include the Prairie Brothers' romp  through "Shady Grove" and the close harmonies of the Morris Brothers  (reminiscent of the better-knownLouvin Brothers) on  "Salty Dog Blues." Balancing the spiritual uplift of some of the material, the  collection ends with the murder balladry of the Country Pardners' "Pretty  Polly."--Don McLeese