The Appalachians
Stretching across the traditional North-South delineation of America's original colonial core, yet linking them as firmly as a spine, the Appalachian Mountains have had a central role in American industry, culture, and politics for centuries. While PBS's documentary series examines every facet of that history, this 22-track soundtrack companion focuses on the region's impossibly rich musical legacy. Along with jazz and the blues, the music of Appalachia remains one of America's most primal and consistently influential (as evidenced by the revivalist successes ofOh Brother, Where Art Thou?cultural treasures. The collection performs a tricky tightrope walk between tradition and its contemporary echoes, and artists from Jimmie Rodgers (the sublime "Waiting For a Train") and the Cash and Carter clans to contemporary stars like Rickie Skaggs and Jason Ringenberg, yet its most compelling moments seem rooted not in recording studios, but the region's rocky soil. The Alabama Sacred Harp Singing Convention's haunting, African-rooted harmonies on "Northfield" and eerie a cappella of Maggie Hammon's "When This World Comes to an End" stand in stark contrast to the disturbingly frank musings of the Blue Sky Boys' murderous "Down on the Banks of the Ohio." These are but three of the highlights on this evocative anthology.--Jerry McCulley