Music » Compilation Country Music

Originally issued as a single LP in 1960, Mountain Music of Kentucky was praised as "the greatest Kentucky record ever issed and one of the greatest records in the entire literature of American folk song" (San Francisco Chronicle 1960). This much expanded compilation features some of the outstanding traditional musicians of the twentieth century with two full hours of performances (60 minutes previously unreleased), new notes, and many photographs by John Cohen. One of the greatest records in the entire literature of American folk song. -San Francisco Chronicle

Release Date: 2002-01-08, Audio CD, Time Life Records

All that's right with modern country and all that's wrong with modern country in one cellophane wrapper. You can't deny the current roster of talented, enthusiastic, and charismatic performers. On the other hand, the omnipresent rock beats and slick production seem to indicate a lack of trust in the talent. As a result, artists with a less-polished approach--BR5-49, Patty Loveless, Lee Roy Parnell--stand apart from the pack. Choosing material in modern Nashville is also a crapshoot, as evidenced by lines such as: "Going through the Big D, I don't mean Dallas / I can't believe what the judge had to tell us / I got the jeep and she got the palace." Or "Joined a cult, joined the Klan, on the road with Pearl Jam / buried with the Grateful Dead, came back as a Parrothead." Of course, this is a danceable party album, so maybe we should take Trace Adkins's advice: "This ain't no thinkin' thing." --Marc Greilsamer

Release Date: 2002-05-21, Audio CD, Umvd Special Markets

As befits a release on a fledgling indie label, Dualtone's tribute to Johnny Cash celebrates the feistier fringes of the Man in Black's catalog, adding a few mainstream milestones. In what is plainly a labor of love for all concerned, highlights extend from the pop innocence of "Ballad of a Teenage Queen" by Rodney Crowell (formerly married to Johnny's daughter Rosanne) to the folkier strains and husband-and-wife harmonies of "Pack Up Your Sorrows" by Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis to the honky-tonk majesty of "I Still Miss Someone" by pianist Earl Poole Ball. Some of the more familiar touchstones don't fare quite as well, with Billy Burnette turning in a tepid "Ring of Fire" and Dale Watson singing in a lower than comfortable register on "I Walk the Line," though James Intveld rises to the challenge of "Folsom Prison Blues." The house band and the largely acoustic arrangements give the 18-cut album more unity than many such projects, as the collection shows why one of the most influential and commercially successful artists in country's history remains an icon of alt-country as well. --Don McLeese

Ray Benson's Asleep At The Wheel deserve admiration for keeping alive the sounds of western swing, but with a rhythm section that's usually straight-up-and-down stiff, The Wheel's recordings mainly just leave you craving their inspirations. The 18-song Tribute overcomes this problem by loading up on singers who do their best to swing even when the band doesn't. George Strait, doing "Big Balls In Cowtown," is a natural, of course, as are the offerings from Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Lyle Lovett and Dolly Parton. Even Garth Brooks' go at "Deep Water," who mimics Strait to perfection here, is a pleasant surprise. --David Cantwell

Release Date: 2003-02-25, Audio CD, Utv Records

Release Date: 1995-11-07, Audio CD, Mca Special Products

Release Date: 2003-06-24, Audio CD, Time Life Records

Release Date: 2000-10-03, Audio CD, Madacy Records