"O Sister!" The Women's Bluegrass Collection Vol 1 - 2001

The bluegrass bandwagon continues to roll in 2001. This collection attempts to capitalize on the breakthrough success of the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack. Drawn from Rounder's rich catalog, the 19-cut sampler of female singing, fiddling, and picking extends from an era when women were a novelty in this male-dominated music category through the popular crossover ascendance of such contemporary artists (and O Brother favorites) as Alison Krauss and the Cox Family. Harmonies from the likes of Rhonda Vincent and the Stevens sisters soar toward the heavens, while the earthier strains of Hazel Dickens and Ginny Hawker are more reflective of the music's hardscrabble roots. Though Wilma Lee Cooper's "You Tried to Ruin My Name" has all the subtlety of a hog-calling contest, such rawness is about as real as this music gets. --Don McLeeseThe latest in a lengthening string of releases designed to benefit from association with the Coen brothers film O Brother, Where Art Thou? is this all-girl bluegrass compilation, which features on its cover the requisite stubbly cornfield and archaic font style. Opportunistic as the packaging may be, there's no arguing with the quality of the content. Generously packed with outstanding performances by women as stylistically disparate as Hazel Dickens, Claire Lynch, and Kathy Kallick, O Sister is a delightful celebration of several generations of criminally unheralded female bluegrass artists. The highlights are many, but particular standout tracks include Rhonda Vincent's rocking "Lonesome Wind Blues," the hard-edged mountain sound of Phyllis Boyens (backed up by Hazel Dickens and the Johnson Mountain Boys), and the clawhammer banjo-powered "Comin' Down From God" by the relatively unknown Carol Elizabeth Jones. The usual suspects are here too, of course, including Alison Krauss (on the exquisitely gentle and sweet "Every Time You Say Goodbye") and the Cox Family (twice). You might buy this one because you feel guilty about the way women have been neglected in the bluegrass world, but you'll keep coming back to it because the songs are just so dang good. (Allmusic)trax:

1. If Wishes Were Horses - Claire Lynch 2. Silver Tongue And Gold Plated Lies - Suzanne Thomas 3. Sad Situation - Delia Bell 4. True Life Blues - Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard 5. Lonesome Wind Blues - Rhonda Vincent 6. Pardon Me - The Cox Family 7. Old River - Ginny Hawker & Hazel Dickens 8. You Tried To Ruin My Name - Wilma Lee Cooper 9. I Can't Find Your Love Any More - Hazel Dickens 10. Just Like Rain - Laurie Lewis & Kathy Kallick 11. Mama's Hand - Lynn Morris 12. Every Time You Say Goodbye - Alison Krauss 13. Blue - The Stevens Sisters 14. Time Is Winding Up - Ginny Hawker & Carol Elizabeth Jones 15. Blow, Big Wind - Laurie Lewis 16. Will There Be Any Stars? - The Cox Family With Alison Krauss 17. The Last Old Shovel - Phyllis Boyens 18. Comin' Down From God - Carol Elizabeth Jones 19. Eight More Miles - Laurie Lewis, Claire Lynch, Lynn Morris & Rhonda Vincent

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