O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Featuring well-known artists like Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch, Alison Krauss, Dan Tyminski, and the Cox Family, the album also showcases some other performers that I'm not familiar with (and therefore won't comment on their reputations and show my ignorance). There are also some original recordings (such as Harry McClintock's "Big Rock Candy Mountain", for one).

The liner notes contain a lot of information about the genesis of the album and the part the music plays in the movie. It's clear that those involved in the making of this album put a lot of care into it and respect for the music.

Standout tracks for me: The Whites' "Keep on the Sunny Side" and Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch's cover of "I'll Fly Away".


Stark, Ancestral, Remarkable   April 15, 2001
Don Thomason (Dunbar, KY United States)
51 out of 51 found this review helpful

When an album of old-time music goes platinum and hits #1 on the country chart with no significant radio airplay, one may rightly wonder what the hell is going on. The star power of George Clooney in this depression-era Coen Brothers film may have drawn attention, but the soundtrack stands on its own as a remarkable achievement. The 19 rustic tracks here are mountain music, primitive gospel, and the hobo vein of folk, the ancestors of bluegrass and country. You can feel the desperation, simplicity, and reverence of another era through performances by Ralph Stanley, Gillian Welch, Norman Blake, Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, John Hartford, Chris Thomas King, the Fairfield Four, the Whites, the Cox Family, and others, along with a field recording of a chain gang ("Po Lazarus" by James Carter & the Prisoners), Harry McClintock`s 1928 hobo fantasy "Big Rock Candy Mountain," and the Stanley Brothers classic "Angel Band." Union Station takes on the musical identity of the three star characters onscreen, known as the Soggy Bottom Boys, and their stark, unvarnished renditions of "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" and "In the Jailhouse Now" are arresting. Ditto for Ralph Stanley, who raises the hairs on the back of the neck with his acapella mountain singing on "O Death," and the Fairfield Four on "Lonesome Valley." The emotional purity and grit of this soundtrack will take the buildup of the plaque of modern living and peel it right off.


O Brother, I have found thee.   July 22, 2002
Kaitlin (Katy, Tx USA)
45 out of 49 found this review helpful

Let me tell you first off, being a 13 yr old girl, in the middle of the pop world, I hate country. I would beg my parents in the car to let me listen to my Pop/Rock/Rap stations, but one day my dad popped in this Cd, and now we all sing along to it on road trips, or trips to the store.

1)Po Lazarus... man, this 1950's was originally recorded by a prision chain gang, the song being written by James Carter. I just wish that the chopping didn't drown out the lyrics.

2)Big rock cany mountians.... the original adult version. This funny song is no Willy Wonka favorite.

3) You are my sushine... Such a sad, touching song. I love this song, with it's syncappated country sound.

4) Down to the river to pray... this is my favorite song to sing and listen to. I love picking out all the bacground harmonys. it is a beautiful song, with Aloson Krauss as lead vocalist.

5) Man of Constant Sorrow.. a catchy, great song. If you've seen the movie, how could you think of anything other than George Clooney's eyebrows?

6)Hard time Killing Floor Blues.. a beautiful song. Chris Thomas King's voice is so rich. Very thought-prevoking

7) Man of constant Sorrow.. a beautiful guitar instrumental that gets you in a mood for music appreciation.

8)Keep on the sunny side.. the titel says it all. A happy true-bluegrass number

9)I'll fly away... an old hym that is very moving, though I like the higher pitched version in the movie better. Wonder why they changed it?

10)Didn't leave nobody but the baby.... Ahh the sirens, the vocals are supurb, but when u really listen to the lyrics, they are quite desturbing.

11) In the Highway.... if u haven't seen the movie (u need to) then u will not understand why there are three little girls singing.

12)I am weary (let me rest).... one of my favorites, the Cox family is very talented.

13)Man of Constant sorrow... I love this violin instrumental. It is my favorite song. A violin player myself, i guess I appreciate it, but it's just so beautiful!!

14)o death.... O DEATH!!!! Ralph stanley's haunting tenor voice is perfect for this song. It upsets my mom, but I love it. It makes me thankful for life.

15)In the Jailhouse now... a funny, uplifting song, with a suprising yodel. you should hear my family on this part, haha.

16) Man of Constant sorrow... The full band id behind them this time, and I like it better than Just the gitar accompaniment (sorry tommy) (see the movie)

17)Indian War Whoop... don't worry, it's not what it sounds like. it portrays the village idiots... once again, WATCH THE MOVIE

18)Lonesome valley... while this is kinda a weird song, u have to admit, the vocal harmony is amazing.

19)Angel Band.... this is a beautiful song. The stanley brothers are very good. In the movie i liked it better, but it's still wonderfull.
I hope u found this movie.


Finally, the Grammys got it right!   March 1, 2002
spiral_mind (Pennsylvania)
37 out of 39 found this review helpful

After a two-year trend of giving Album of the Year awards to recipients who deserved it 25 years ago, they took a further step in 2001: giving the award to a collection of music that predates the Grammys themselves. Past songs and groups don't endure this long without good reason. And this rustic traditional collection is performed by top-notch modern artists all the way, from rockin' bluesman Chris Thomas King to country siren Gillian Welch to the movie's Soggy Bottom Boys - currently the bluegrass equivalent of Spinal Tap. Accessible and enjoyable whether you're a fan of rock, country or pop, this is one of those rare genre-spanning achievements that's found equal praise among listeners of all ages and tastes.

If you're a country fan, you'll probably know the names Gillian Welch and Allison Krauss already. If not, take a listen to Krauss's mesmerizing turn on "Down to the River to Pray" and you'll want to repeat the track ten or twelve more times. Elsewhere we're treated to some real old-time country singing; twangy guitars and voices that only come with decades of whiskey and cigarettes. Ralph Stanley's "O Death" can give shivers and the Fairfield Four's "Lonesome Valley" is positively chilling. The centerpiece "Man of Constant Sorrow" is the best kind of blues, a tale of hardship set to an infectious toe-tapping beat. John Hartford's sad violin paints a picture of a lonely jail cell, and Norman Blake's guitar is part grungy Delta blues and part swamp funk.

I've probably said enough. Between the acclaim from the already-converted and the reviews I'm going to be buried under (this is a big Grammy winner after all), you've probably got a good idea what the album is like by now. If you're curious about the roots of modern music, buy this. If you like country or bluegrass, buy it. If you want to show a little more support for a genre that's been criminally subdued by the music industry, buy it. Heck, if you're just curious what all the fuss is about - buy it. All the five-star reviews here aren't kidding: it's THAT good.


Memories of the heart   February 7, 2001
David Paul Smith (Dallas, TX United States)
35 out of 36 found this review helpful

I simply can not stop listening to this marvelous collection. I spent my teenage years in the 1960s with the Beatles, Janis Joplin, etc., but I also grew up in Deep East Texas. These songs tug at the heart, with memories of the soil and culture that surrounded my youth. I think I have a different favorite from this CD each week. At first, the sirens' song of "Didn't Leave Nobody But the Baby" refused to leave my mind. Then it was the haunting beauty of "Down in the River to Pray." But the chilling rendition of "O Death" lingers and lingers. I can't say enough about this soundtrack. If you have country roots, no matter how far removed in time and place, these songs will bring them back, not in simple nostalgia, but because the emotions they evoke are implicit and eternal within our souls. Don't miss this one.