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Classic Mountain Songs from Smithsonian Folkways
Smithsonian Folkways SFWCD 40094
Much of the American traditional music glut spawned by the runaway success of O Brother Where Art Thou? has been less than uplifting. Happily, this CD falls way on the right side of the line. Jeff Place's compilation of blues, spirituals and traditional ballads, early bluegrass and old-time fiddle and banjo pieces covers a diverse range of styles from the mountain communities of Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina and Tennessee and is performed by some of the most influential singers and songwriters of the last century.
You can't beat this music for putting life into perspective. Glorious storysongs full of hardships and grit flow from these mountain men and women like moonshine at a hoe-down. Highlights? Ola Belle Reed's fabulous voice and guitar on her own song High On A Mountain; the women-led bluegrass band of Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard; Doc & Merle Watson's ringing Southbound; the blues-influenced banjo playing of Dock Boggs; Clarence Ashley's racy Cuckoo Bird. Some hard-hitting acapella tracks really stir the soul: Horton Barker's restoration of an old melody and a simple dignity to the well-worn Amazing Grace; Berzilla Wallin's version of O Death (here Conversation With …); Roscoe Holcomb's Moonshiner; the hair-raising Old Regular Baptist harmonies of the Indian Bottom Association.
High on charm, character and authenticity, this is another gem from Smithsonian Folkways whose sleeve documentation, as ever, brings both artists and material vivdly to life. Essential reading, essential listening.
Mel McClellan - February 2003
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Folk & Acoustic
