This was a review of sorts I wrote for Worldspace Asia. Seems to be missing from the site index, so I thought I would put it up here for posterity.
Funny word - posterity. Reminds me of "posterior".
It’s not everyday that a movie soundtrack featuring a gamut of little-known artistes beats out musical heavyweights like U2 and Bob Dylan or chart-toppers like India.Arie and Outkast at the Grammies. February 27th, 2002 was one of those rare days, a day hailed as the triumphant return of old-time music to the mainstream. The name of the movie was O Brother Where Art Thou and the soundtrack of the movie took home five Grammy Awards in 2002, and was a multi-platinum bestseller that year. The reason? This was a soundtrack that featured songs painstakingly culled from archival records of the nineteen twenties and the thirties, faithfully rearranged to reflect their country and bluegrass origins, and incomparably sung by authentic voices of American Country music, free of the predictable Nashville polish.
It came out of nowhere. Among the manufactured synth-poppy atmosphere of the late nineties, when even period movies featured industrial remixes and howling electronica, the musical tapestry of O Brother… brought in a breath of fresh air. This comedy, directed by the Coen Brothers was set in rustic America of the early twentieth century and featured a storyline that was much dependent on the music of that time. In order to accurately reflect the styles of that period, the duo brought in archivist and old-time musician T-Bone Burnett. They wanted music performed by musicians, not celebrities, and by the time production on the record was over, they had exactly what they wanted.
Burnett, with the help of Country singer-songwriter Gillian Welch, came up with the idea of re-recording classic, forgotten tracks of yesteryears with arrangements of traditional harmonies, gospel choirs and using only old-time instruments like mandolins, violins and banjos. A folk song from the Appalachian Mountains, originally recorded in 1922 was made the signature song of the movie. The final album was to contain three disparate versions of the song, called A Man Of Constant Sorrow, and it featured the vocal talents of Union Station members Dan Tyminski, Harley Allen and Pat Enright. The trio called themselves The Soggy Bottom Boys, the name borrowed from the George Clooney's eponymous band in the movie.
The final list of singers who made it into the songs of the soundtrack reads like a Country Music Fan's dream-come-true. Alison Krauss, Gillian Welch and Emmy Lou Harris harmonize on "Don't Leave Nobody (But the Baby)", a plaintive tune punctuated by handclaps and humming. Norman Blake sings "You are My Sunshine" backed by the banjo and the slide guitar, an upbeat and breezy song, much like the sunny "Keep on the Sunny Side" by the Whites. In contrast, "Down to The River To Pray" by Alison Krauss and "O Death" by the legendary Ralph Stanley are deeply spiritual, both songs evoking a sense of nostalgia and timelessness. "Po Lazarus" by James Carter and the Prisoners has the despair of an authentic prison song, sung to the sound of hammers and pickaxes hitting rocks. "Big Rock Candy Mountain" by Harry McLintock is one of the authentic songs used in the album, a tale of a Utopia for bums, a place where there are "lakes of gin and lemonade springs", a place where "chickens lay softboiled eggs and dogs have rubber teeth." The album closes with a rendition of "Angel Band" by the Stanley Brothers, an acapella piece with harmonies that can be best described in just one word - chilling.
Most of the artistes on this album are contemporary country and bluegrass singers, but the authentic old-time style of their singing makes it hard to believe so. "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues" by Chris Thomas King is a perfect example of this - listen to the twenty-something year old singer's heartfelt rendition of this song, and you will be hard-pressed to believe that he's a singer of the nineties. (He plays a Robert Johnson wannabe in the movie) Another case in point - "In the Highway" by the Peasall Sisters, a trio of teenage sisters whose ebullient voices are matched by their masterly harmonizing on the track - one of the highpoints of the album.
The movie was not a box-office hit, but audiences everywhere immediately noticed the soundtrack. With very little airplay and by word-of-mouth, the music sales picked up. It was not only fans and music-lovers that were hooked - eminent musicians and bands (The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith and Metallica in particular) plugged the soundtrack at their concerts and in interviews, creating an enthusiasm unprecedented for Country and Bluegrass music. Then came the spin-offs - "O Sister Where Art Thou", an album featuring female Bluegrass and Country artistes, was an instant bestseller, as was the album featuring original versions of the songs on the O Brother soundtrack. The seventy-five year old Ralph Stanley went on to release his first solo album in years, with T-Bone Burnett helping out as producer. The musicians toured the United States on the O Brother tour, at places like Nashville's Ryman Auditorium and Carnegie Hall, which was filmed for a documentary by D.A. Pennebaker, called "Down From The Mountain". Needless to say, the DVD sold in truckloads.
The legacy of "O Brother Where Art Thou" remains to this day, be it in the renewed interest in the archival Blues and Country recordings of Alan Lomax (which were largely instrumental in the making of the soundtrack) and Harry Smith. Or in the revitalized careers of the dozen-odd Country musicians who poured heart and soul into the songs. It lives on in the legions of Country and Bluegrass converts who are discovering (and rediscovering) the authentic old-time music of the likes of Bill Monroe, Wilf Carter, Jimmie Rodgers and Robert Johnson. An album that fuses bluegrass, roots, mountain music and old-time country, "O Brother Where Art Thou" is the finest example of a perfect soundtrack, and an essential album for those who like their Country music raw and untarnished.
