Editorial Review

The best soundtracks are like movies for the ears, and Read more

Features

• Enhanced
• Soundtrack

Reviews (465)

Hidden Gotcha
I liked this CD, but not every track.Beware, you cannot load it onto your computer.Had I known this, I would not have purchased the CD regardless of how much I like the soundtrack.
Great Music
Although O brother where art thou is not the best of Coen brother's films, this soundtrack is remarkable. "I' man of constant sorrow" is a logical hit, quite a catchy tune, but "Po Lazarus", "Big rock candy mountain" "I'll fly away" or "Down in the river to pray" give all sorts of bluegrass, country and gospel moods, all perfectly executed.
A surprise!
I love this CD. Which is a shocker. I can't stand blue grass, don't even like country. But the quality of singing voices and the immpeckable instrumental execution makes me an admirer. I bought this cd because I watched the movie and Goerge Clooney's 'singing' performance made me laugh. I smile alot when listening to this cd. Very well done. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bluegrass    2. Bluegrass-Gospel    3. Country Blues    4. Folksongs    5. Neo-Traditional Folk    6. Pop    7. Soundtrack    8. Soundtracks    9. Soundtracks & Film Scores    10. Traditional Bluegrass    11. Traditional Country   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (14)

This is one of my all-time favorite CDs
If you love bluegrass at its best, this CD is for YOU!
EXCELLENT BLUEGRASS!
I just recently got into bluegrass and when I heard this album I now love bluegrass.With songs like foggy mountain breakdown,rocky top and old home place this cd is great!!!! I think that I'm going to go out and buy a banjo today.

Introducing myself to music
I had no idea about what type of music bluegrass was before I got this CD.Amazon recommended this CD when I used their search function for bluegrass. I don't have anything to compare it against - so I'm judging it on the music and how "I" like it as a person who hasn't listened to bluegrass before.
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Subjects:  1. 40's    2. 50's    3. 60's    4. 70's    5. 80's    6. 90's    7. Appalachia    8. Bluegrass    9. Bluegrass Collections    10. Bluegrass-Gospel    11. Contemporary Bluegrass    12. Contemporary Country    13. Country    14. Country & Western    15. Country-Rock    16. Nashville Sound/Countrypolitan    17. Neo-Traditionalist Country    18. New Traditionalist    19. Old-Timey    20. Pop   

Editorial Review

Rounder compiled this superb 50-song set to serve as an introduction to bluegrass in general and to their own catalog in particular. Obvious marketing motives aside, the collection has few weaknesses and offers a broad look at the ever-morphing genre. Perhaps more than any other label, Rounder gave exposure to the renegade progressive and "newgrass" musicians who worshipped the style despite the fact that they weren't from the mountains. Folks like David Grisman, Bill Keith, Tony Trischka, and Bela Fleck push the music in new directions while others such as Del McCoury, Don Stover, James King, Jim & Jesse, and Vern Williams represent more-traditional concerns. Still others--Tony Rice, David Grier, J.D. Crowe, Nashville Bluegrass Band among them--adeptly fuse elements of tradition and innovation. This collection also highlights the important contributions of female artists including Hazel and Alice, Laurie Lewis, Claire Lynch, and Alison Krauss. Read more

Reviews (23)

Better than I had imagined
I was extremely pleased with this CD and recommend it to anyone who enjoys Bluegrass.

Don't buy this if you are dead set on not liking bluegrass
This is the BEST Bluegrass compilation ever... and you can't beat the price. The only problem is that you might play it too much... until you cant get the songs out of your head... but it will take a LONG time for this to happen even if you play them back to back because both Cds are so long (and there are two of them!) and ALL the songs are good! (except a couple, and that's probably personal preference)
Pick This One Up
One great album.Some great old songs, and some great new songs. 49 great songs in all.Acts range from some old Hazel & Alice to newer ones like J.D. Crowe and Alison Kraus.If a CD could wear out, I'd have to replace this one. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 70's    2. 80's    3. 90's    4. Bluegrass    5. Contemporary Bluegrass    6. Country    7. Folk Collections    8. Neo-Traditional Folk    9. Old-Timey    10. Pop    11. Progressive Bluegrass    12. Traditional Bluegrass    13. Traditional Folk   

Editorial Review

Country music reclaimed its traditional soul with the chart-topping triumph of the Read more

Features

• Live
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Reviews (55)

reasonable good CD
This CD was ok. I enjoyed the actual "Brother, Where Art Thou" soundtrack better. If you are really into these particular artists, you should enjoy this.

I'm a Dapper Dan Man!
I can't express how much I love this movie, soundtrack and documentary. It's a classic in every sense of the word. The movie is hilarious, the music superb and it makes me reminesse (pardon my spelling)about all those times my parents forced me to watch Hee Haw as a child. It's just the PERFECT movie.

Check this out ..
This is a cool movie no doubt.Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Country    2. Bluegrass    3. Country    4. Country Gospel    5. Neo-Traditional Folk    6. Neo-Traditionalist Country    7. Pop    8. Progressive Bluegrass    9. Soundtrack    10. Southern Gospel   

Editorial Review

The bluegrass bandwagon continues to roll in 2001. This collectionattempts to capitalize on the breakthrough success of theRead more

Reviews (25)

This Bluegrass CD is Excellent!!!!!!
There are 19 tracks on this CD and with the exception of 1-2 songs, this may well be one of the best bluegrass CDs I own.What a buy!Eight More Miles with Laurie Lewis, Claire Lynch, Lynn Morris and Rhonda Vincent steal the show here.I have been a lover of bluegrass for over 25 years and this CD is a must have for everyone.

Lacks the Cohesion of her Brother
The collection of songs on "O Brother" was made very deliberately, with a wonderful ear toward a "comprehensive" overall sound.But there was no such brilliant and strong guiding force at work for "O Sister", which is essentially a compilation of various female Rounder artistes. wow
I was just thummin' through some free downloads when I ran into this cd and thought I would give it a try.thinking nothing of it I started playing them.after listening to the samples rour times I decied to get it for myself.the songs are equally catchy up deat and addicitve.the banjo is a beautiful insterment which the cd contains a lot of is old time sound.if you like bluegrass your collection wont be complete without this cd I imagin the frist one is just as good. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Americana    2. Bluegrass    3. Bluegrass Collections    4. Contemporary Bluegrass    5. Country    6. Neo-Traditional Folk    7. Neo-Traditionalist Country    8. Old-Timey    9. Pop    10. Progressive Bluegrass    11. Traditional Bluegrass    12. Traditional Folk   

Reviews (4)

Blue Grass Gospel Classics
If you love Blue Grass Gospel - this one is for you.Mountain Gospel at its best.

Angels, yes indeed!! Sweetest sounds in Bluegrass
It's really about time the women got their due.For many years men seemed to dominate bluegrass music, but with the resurgence caused by "O-Brother.." and "Down From The Mountain", the ladies are making their way to front and center. An anthology that wears well, very well
This collection begins with an old standard by the Cox Family setting a familar tone which is quickly broken. "Wayfaring Stranger" is the only other standard Gospel number but its execution with a bluesy clarinet is anything but standard; bluegrass clarinet works splendidly. Hazel Dickens provides a mother/memory piece in "Faded Pressed Rose" - she delivers an intensely emotional piece without ever sounding sacchrine.The Stevens Sisters' bluesy rendition of "In My Time of Dying" balances death and faith in well balanced close harmony.And OlaBelle Reed cuts us all down to size in a riveting performance of "Six Feet of Earth Makes Us All of One Size".Read more

Subjects:  1. Bluegrass Collections    2. Pop    3. V/a Compilations   

Reviews (5)

Absolutely essential
This is a marvelous collection. Along with "High Atmosphere", I consider it essential to orient you to the way the music really sounded.Most people come to Old Time music from some place else...bluegrass, country, or one of the great modern oddities like Old Crow Medicine Show or The Bad Livers.Perhaps you got the bug from "Oh Brother Where Art Thou".Well, you're on the right path with this very big 2 CD collection that not only has achingly beautiful a'capella balads, red hot fiddling, and some really phenomenal banjo work, but also haunting church shape note singing.Get "High Atmosphere" as well, and once you've absorbed them, branch out from there.

OLD TIME MUSIC
GREAT CD. THE CD CASE IS KIND OF DUMB, BECAUSE IT LIST THE ARTISTS AND TRACK NO. ON WHICH THEY PERFORM, INSTEAD OF THE ARTIST AND THEN THE SONG. THE SONGS ARE WRITTEN ON THE CD LABEL THOUGH. STILL A GREAT CD. VINTAGE SONGS, VINTAGE STYLE

The hills were alive!
Having just reviewed another of John Cohen's excellent collections (High Atmosphere) yesterday, this seemed like a natural choice for today. This was recorded in 1959.Read more

Subjects:  1. Appalachian Folk    2. Banjo    3. Bluegrass    4. Bluegrass Collections    5. Country    6. Country & Western    7. Cowboy    8. Field Recordings    9. Folklore    10. Old-Timey    11. Pop    12. Traditional Bluegrass    13. Traditional Country    14. Traditional Folk   

Reviews (4)

Great bluegrass -- Excellent value
All-instrumental collections of bluegrass are hard to find, and if you like it when a band takes a break from singing and just plays their instruments, here's your chance for total immersion. All the songs on this compilation are from Rounder Records albums released 1976-1998, by artists with familiar names like Alison Krauss and Tony Rice, and others you may never have heard of.All are first rate, foot stompin' renditions of bluegrass traditionals, with a few great originals -- Bill Monroe's "Bluegrass Breakdown" and Earl Scruggs' "Foggy Mountain Chimes." Best known for most listeners is a rousing version of "Orange Blossom Special" by the Johnson Mountain Boys. If you like bluegrass with plenty of pickin' at breakneck speed, this CD will keep you smilin' through many, many replays.

Bluegrass Breakdown: 14 Instrumentals
I liked only the tracks 1 and 6. The songs have good banjo picking but are not beautiful enough to keep me listening more than one time.

Bluegrass Breakdown
...It's a shame the scale only goes to 5 stars,because this CD is...if youknow and love Bluegrass is of the best I've heard in a long time..notwithstanding the major bands out there!!!...If you crave Bluegrass.....GETTHIS CD.....!!!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bluegrass    2. Bluegrass Collections    3. Contemporary Bluegrass    4. Contemporary Country    5. Country    6. Country & Western    7. Fusion    8. Instrumental Country    9. Neo-Traditionalist Country    10. Pop    11. Post-Bop    12. Progressive Bluegrass    13. Traditional Bluegrass   

Reviews (2)

We need more of this!
Bravo CMH - this is what we need. Bluegrass instrumentals are quite rare these days and the best of them were done in the 1970's. CMH have delivered a fine package for the bluegrasser who prefers not to listen to a bluegrass voice which often detracts from the fine acoustic music. Let us be honest and say that many singers have B-Awful voices and instrumentals like this terrific collection are wonderful to locate. Thank you CMH.

Bluegrass magic
There are lots of wonderful Bluegrass albums around, but this one is really great. I recommend it very highly, and would give it more than five stars if possible. Every song is brilliant and it is impossible to single out any one track as better than the rest. Even non-bluegrass fans would enjoy this album if they like first-rate musicians plying their trade. A truly excellent album! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 50's    2. 60's    3. Bluegrass    4. Bluegrass Collections    5. Contemporary Bluegrass    6. Country    7. Pop    8. Progressive Bluegrass    9. Traditional Bluegrass    10. Traditional Country   

Reviews (4)

Worn Thin
If it's possible to wear out a CD as we used to with vinyl, then I have already taken several layers off this one.I never tire of the varieties of dobro playing on this one.It was my daily companion for a 2 hour commute for 4 years!It will open your interests to many of the great players of this under-appreciated instrument.

Music at its best!
Great instrumental project! Most of the Dobro "Celebrities" are on this album, the great old players like Josh Graves and Mike Auldridge as well as the young players like Gene Wooten and Sally Van Meter. They all have one thing in common - extraordinary musicianship. The danger with instrumenta� projects featuring the same instrument is always that it gets boring after awhile, but not here. There are so many different ways to play, also the song selection, from traditional fast-paced bluegrass to modern sounds, everything is here and the Dobro really fits for the complete musical spectrum. I really enjoyed this album!

It opened my eyes to a whole new way to play guitar
This CD is a must for country or bluegrass music fans.It features 21 tracks of great dobro guitar accompanied by fiddle, banjo and sometimes mandolin.If you are like me and have never really gave dobro music a whole lot of thought, you will be pleasantly surprised. I think I could become hooked. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bluegrass    2. Bluegrass Collections    3. Contemporary Bluegrass    4. Country    5. Country/Bluegrass    6. Old-Timey    7. Pop    8. Progressive Bluegrass    9. Traditional Bluegrass    10. Traditional Folk   

Reviews (9)

Hard to decide between 4 and 5 stars...

Wonderful Foster music
This CD brings back all the childhood memories that Foster's music invokes. It made me want to get up and dance when I listened to "Oh, Susanna" and "Camptown Races" and I felt the need to sing along with "Old Folks at Home." The artistry is as superb as we have come to expect from Joe Weed.I love this CD and enjoyed the historical information that is included.

The Measure of a Songwriter...
...is how well his songs outlast their original era and context.That Stephen Foster was probably America's first important songwriter is inarguable.Yet it would be a mistake to _leave_ his songs there.This CD, to my mind, proves that his compositions have staying power.Bluegrass/folk treatments are a natural medium for Foster's songs, and the performances here are assured and approachable.Forget about "anachronism" as another reviewer put it.It would do Stephen Foster even more injustice to abandon his songs to the style of light opera or "parlor" music.They're better than that, and this disc proves it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Contemporary Folk    2. Country    3. Neo-Traditional Folk    4. Progressive Bluegrass    5. Talented producer and musician Joe Weed has assembled an all star cast of acoustic musicians to perform the music of America's great 19th century songwriter Stephen Foster.    6. Traditional Bluegrass   

Editorial Review

The best soundtracks are like movies for the ears, and Read more

Features

• SACD

Reviews (465)

Hidden Gotcha
I liked this CD, but not every track.Beware, you cannot load it onto your computer.Had I known this, I would not have purchased the CD regardless of how much I like the soundtrack.
Great Music
Although O brother where art thou is not the best of Coen brother's films, this soundtrack is remarkable. "I' man of constant sorrow" is a logical hit, quite a catchy tune, but "Po Lazarus", "Big rock candy mountain" "I'll fly away" or "Down in the river to pray" give all sorts of bluegrass, country and gospel moods, all perfectly executed.
A surprise!
I love this CD. Which is a shocker. I can't stand blue grass, don't even like country. But the quality of singing voices and the immpeckable instrumental execution makes me an admirer. I bought this cd because I watched the movie and Goerge Clooney's 'singing' performance made me laugh. I smile alot when listening to this cd. Very well done. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Soundtrack    3. Soundtracks & Film Scores   

Reviews (14)

Its good
There are 2 standout songs that are up-tempo enough for the Blue Grass to really shine "Time" and "Run Like Hell" the rest are solid interpitations of the originals good and in some cases damn good but the harmonic transitions and the banjo work in Time left me flored when i first heard them and i still enjoy listining to it after a year and a half of owning the album. And im a hard rocker

Excellent!
Really love this blugrass interpretation of Pink Floyd tunes. "Comfortably Numb" is worth the price of the cd alone. Floyd in the country
I wish I still took drugs. After only listening to the samples, I'm pretty sure this might be the greatest album of all time. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bluegrass    2. Bluegrass Collections    3. Contemporary Bluegrass    4. Pop    5. Rock   

Editorial Review

For most people, this 28-track anthology will be more edifying than entertaining... and that's not a criticism. First released in 1971, the collection was assembled by Alan Jabbour under the auspices of the American Folklife Center and the Library of Congress. Spanning the 1930s and '40s, the handsomely illustrated and thoroughly documented collection captures fiddlers from New England to California sawing their way through their favorite showcase tunes, in the process illustrating the rich variety of roughhewn sounds that salt-of-the-earth Americans produced with the violin. Read more

Reviews (3)

I have found my Grandfather!
Elmer Barton from Quechee VT is my grandfather. He was my mother's father. I never had the opportunity to meet him. I now have an excellent example of what a talented man he was. I can pass this on to my children.

Indispensable for American musical history...
People used to dance to these tunes; people used to congregate, socialize and be a community with the help of these tunes. It's not hard to imagine why - just try to control the spontaneous and inevitable foot tapping while listening to this disc - the rhythms are too seductive and inviting. The songs are reminiscent of a hoe-down or what today most of us would recognize as Irish music (this style of fiddling sometimes accompanies modern Irish Folk/Rock bands such as Boiled in Lead). But this is pure American music brought over from Britain generations ago. It would later be incorporated in western swing, country, and folk music and become a more or less permanent cultural archetype for this country's music. This disc includes samples of the source of that tradition, and the songs hold up very very well on their own some sixty or seventy years later. Some of them will sound wildly familiar. A MUST-HAVE FOR FIDDLEFANS
If you love traditional fiddle music, this album belongs in your music library. This is a remastered reissue of the 1971 LP of 28 field recordings of fiddlers found in the Library of Congress' Archive of Folk Culture. It was compiled, edited and annotated by Alan Jabbour, a pioneering scholar and researcher in the study of the various fiddle traditions of North America. A master fiddler in his own right, Jabbour's selections are well chosen to give us a nice overview of the range and diversity of American regional fiddle styles, while his comprehensive liner notes-- presented here in a whopping 72 page (!) booklet, complete with great photos of many of the fiddlers -- reflect his estimable scholarship and passion for the music.Read more

Subjects:  1. 30's    2. 40's    3. Bluegrass Collections    4. Fiddle    5. Field Recordings    6. Folk & Traditional    7. Old-Timey    8. Pop    9. Traditional Bluegrass    10. Traditional Country    11. Traditional Folk   

Reviews (3)

A Christmas Bluegrass Treasure!
I have purchased a number of Christmas cds over the years, but I can already tell that this one will remain toward the top of my list! Familiar tunes linked with outstanding instrumental musicianship -- this is a very accessible album of favorites! A lot of spice, hooks and nice mellow touches! And I will definitely pick up Vol. 2 when I have the opportunity!

Tasteful- and tasty.
We have here a very nice acoustic, mostly instrumental Christmas album done all in bluegrass style. The song selection is very good, with a nice mix from traditional to fun. One of the things that makes this album a good choice is that the songs are always bigger than the individual players. Although the lineups have some "big hitters" (Ickes, McCoury, Duncan, etc.), there are no real attempts to outshine the music- it's all very tasteful and not a hint of an ego to be heard. The arrangements are genuine, simple, clean, open, airy, and most often mellow. I'd recommend it for the instrumentalist in you as you fill out your holiday collection with some quality, slightly-off-the-beaten-path selections. If you're looking for great players to tear though souped-up renditions of the songs, you're likely to be disappointed with this one.

Bluegrass covers of Christmas standards
This is an excellent album consisting entirely of familiar tunes, but only the final track (O holy night, sung by the Larkins) features voices. All the other tracks are instrumentals.Read more

Subjects:  1. Christmas / Chanukkah    2. Christmas Music    3. Pop    4. V/a Compilations    5. Xmas Vocal Collections   

Reviews (4)

Perfect CD
This is an instant classic.It's one of those rare Christmas CDs that I'll be listening to this summer, just because it's so good.

Gotta have a Bluegrass Christmas!!!!
This delightfully fresh and new Bluegrass Christmas CD has been in HEAVY rotation since it arrived Thanksgiving weekend.It has it all: Old Chesnuts, new songs, some very funny and clever comedy and outstanding musicianship.This aint no mediocre bluegrass knock-off, this is the real stuff.With the legendary voices of Mac Wiseman, Doc Watson, Bobby & Sonny Osborne and Del McCoury to newer voices Tim O'brien, Ronnie McCoury and Cindy Wheeler (WOW!!! Who???).This will be sure to keep your cabin a glow with the Christmas spirit wherever it may be.A MUST HAVE!!

WOW!!... THIS IS AWESOME!!!...
This CD has it all.Doc Watson, Del McCoury and Mac Wiseman, Jerry Douglas, Ronnie McCoury, Cyndi Wheeler AND the GrooveGrassBoyz.This thing will be a classic and it will be around for a LONGLONG time. Man it's good. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bluegrass    2. Christmas    3. Christmas / Chanukkah    4. Christmas Music    5. Contemporary Bluegrass    6. Pop    7. Progressive Bluegrass    8. Traditional Bluegrass    9. Truck Driving Country    10. Xmas Vocal Collections   

Reviews (6)

Solid Collection of Bluegrass Gospel
There was a time when gospel music was a staple of both country and bluegrass music.Live concerts would feature at least one set devoted entirely to gospel music. This 65-minute disk features twenty-four tracks from the CMH stable of artists. Several of these songs were written by the artist like Merle Travis' "I Am a Pilgrim," Don Reno's "I'm Using My Bible for a Roadmap" and "The Lord's Last Supper," and Eddie Adcock's "Living Waters." [For years, Adcock was the banjo player for the Country Gentlemen. Here he performs with his wife Martha.] Most of the songs are covered by artists who did not make the songs famous, but yet still offer a heart-felt performance like Carl Story's rendition of Hank Williams' "I Saw the Light" and Jim and Jesse McReynolds' version of "Great Speckled Bird," a song more closely identified with Roy Acuff. All told, this is a solid collection of bluegrass gospel played and sung with conviction. Hallelujah! RECOMMENDED

Mediocre
This sounds more like a "country gospel quartet" collection.For a much better bluegrass collection, try Rounder's "25 Years of Bluegrass." Much better gospel bluegrass CD's are Ricky Skaggs' "Soldier of the Cross" and The Isaacs' "Increase My Faith" or "Pieces of Our Past."

Mediocre
For a much better bluegrass collection, try Rounder's 25 Years of Bluegrass. Much better gospel bluegrass CD's are Ricky Skaggs' Soldier of the Cross and The Isaacs' Increase My Faith or Pieces of Our Past. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 50's    2. 60's    3. Bluegrass    4. Bluegrass Collections    5. Bluegrass-Gospel    6. Country    7. Pop    8. Progressive Bluegrass    9. Traditional Bluegrass   

Reviews (19)

Just what I was looking for!
I enjoy listening to the music of the Dave Matthews Band in any form.The melodies are just as beautiful done this way.The perfect accompaniment for your Dave Matthews collection.

Worth a listen
I have a very big fan of DMB, I've seen them 11 times and I have total appreciation for their music.This CD only brings up another notch.It is a great CD, but I listened to it once and haven't picked it up since.For a hardcore DMB fan, it's a must have.

Very cool for a DMB fan, yet lacking juice
If you are a Dave Matthews Band fan, this CD is really cool. This definitely isn't the right CD for a first time listener, but I know for me as a fan it really helped me to appreciate the original recordings more.The musicianship on this CD is definitely top notch.They manage to play through all the songs without the need of drums for extra background!My ownly complaint, besides length, is the lack of dynamics.As a musician and lover of music I know and can appreciate the importance of crescendos and decrescendos, and that's one reason I love DMB so much.They do a superb job of building and winding down throughout the song which adds a lot to the energy.This Breathe CD, on the other hand, is very musical and creative and together yet it seems to lack that original DMB juice.It is a pretty cool CD that's worth the 15 bucks, but don't expect it to be as great as Dave. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bluegrass    2. Bluegrass Collections    3. Country & Western    4. Folk & Traditional    5. Pop   

Reviews (2)

A CD you will never get tired of listening to.
This is one of my favorite CD.My wife and I are avid Goldwing motorcycleriders.This CD sets the mood and lifts your spirits for riding in theGreat Smoky Mountains

Extraordinary!A must-buy for mountain music lovers.
I have owned all three volumes of Smoky Mountain Hymns for about six years.They are among my most-listened-to CD's, which is saying a lot!The recordings are pure accoustic and extremely "clean."The hammered dulcimer has a clear, high-lonesome sound.The support from the mandolin, banjo and guitars is precise and harmonic.If you like hymns and if you like mountain instruments, it will be impossible not to tap your foot and hum along to such favorites as "I'll Fly Away," "Amazing Grace," and "Unclouded Day."-- John Weistart, Durham, NC ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 90's    2. Christian Collections    3. Gospel/Christian Music    4. Pop    5. Religious / Contemp. Christian    6. Traditional Gospel   

Reviews (4)

Best of Fiddle Fever
While Fiddle Fever's music is technically awesome, for my personal preference, it is not the Bluegrass that I like, aside from a couple cuts like Ashokan Farewell. What appeals to me in Bluegrass music is what the people bring from the mountain 'hollars' that adds an 'extra something' to the notes of their music that can't be taught and learned. For comparison, consider that Olympic ice skaters not too long ago had to have style and grace show through their balletic routine; now an ice skater's routine must consist of triple axels followed immediately by a double Lutzes (sp?), a few more inhuman jumps by the end of the routine, and movement on the ice at a quick clip. In this type of Bluegrass music, with the exception of a couple cuts, I sense that soul has been sacrificed for 'faster, sassier, more athletic-tech'. For me, Bluegrass is what comes through the humble competence and unpretentiousness of the mountain folk's playing.
Great Fiddle Work !!
If you enjoy a folksie fiddle, this CD is a must-have. There is a broad sample of Fiddle Fever's catalog of music, something for just about everyone. The highlight, of course, is Ashokan Farewell, best known as the theme music to Ken Burns' famed Civil War series on PBS (get it here on Amazon on DVD!). I was amazed to learn that it was NOT a Civil War period piece, but was written by Jay Ungar of Fiddle Fever in the early 1980's!!! It is such a haunting, yet sweet and lovely tune. It may just be my favorite piece of music ever. Even more surprising, there are lyrics! Haven't heard them yet, but I read about it online. TheCD version has no lyrics, however - it's the exact same rendition heard on the Civil War series.

GREAT to see this in print!
I owned both Fiddle Fever albums when they were on vinyl, and absolutely LOVED them. No longer own a record player, and my tape has worn out - so I am absolutely THRILLED to see this in print.Read more

Subjects:  1. Bluegrass Collections    2. Country    3. Neo-Traditional Folk    4. Old-Timey    5. Pop    6. Traditional Bluegrass