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Cold Mountain
DMZ/Columbia/Sony COL 515119 2
Two years after the phenomenal success of O Brother Where Art Thou?, T Bone Burnett produces 'Son Of OBWAT With Pop Stars' in this soundtrack for Miramax's new motion picture Cold Mountain.
Based on the award-winning novel by Charles Frazier, the film follows the interwoven paths of three people uprooted by the American Civil War. The sonic backdrop for this tale of survival and romance is a familiar-sounding batch of songs drawn from 19th century American blues, folk, gospel and country music. The likes of Alison Krauss, Tim Eriksen, Riley Baugus, Tim O'Brien and a clutch of Nashville musicians provide the required twangy vox/banjo/fiddle/mandolin ambience, though it's the authentically down-homey vocals of The White Stripes' Jack White which grab much of the honours while his own Never Far Away is a refreshingly contemporary interlude.
The Scarlet Tide, co-written by Burnett and Elvis Costello, and Sting's You Will Be My Ain True Love (featuring himself on harmony vocals) are beautifully sung by Krauss, though the Sacred Harp Singers at Liberty Church are more enthusiasic than tuneful and the chunk of Gabriel Yared's standard, soupy filmscore towards the end of the 19-track album does nothing for its flow. File under Buy If You Love The Film.
Mel McClellan - January 2004
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Folk & Acoustic
