[SYN-039]
Traditional folk songs are the root of bluegrass. After all, it's a lot easier to start picking when you're resting on the solid ground of a tried-and-true melody - audiences tend to pay more attention that way. They certainly paid attention in 2000, when the soundtrack album accompanying Joel and Ethan Coen's movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? became an unexpected smash hit, bringing millions of listeners up to speed on the pleasures of both traditional folk songs and bluegrass. The leitmotif of that soundtrack, "Man of Constant Sorrow," can be found on this disc, along with many other standards of the genre like "Wildwood Flower," "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," "Orange Blossom Special," and "Foggy Mountain Breakdown," all played by Nashville session veterans who know a thing or two about roots. — Mac Randall