Quite simply, there is not one weak track on this CD, period. Not one. There are highlights, to be sure, but the greatest aspect of this soundtrack might be that the diverse array of recordings and styles presents the listener with something new to appreciate every time they play the CD.

Some tracks deserve special mention, however. Ralph Stanley's "O Death" is a haunting, passionate song , especially if one recalls the scene in which it appears during the movie. "Down In The River To Pray" by Alison Krauss is another excellent track; when my friend heard the the harmonies of this song, so wonderfully ethereal and poignant, she simply said: "that's beautiful." And the Peasall Sisters are outstanding on "In The Highways," singing with the innocence of children but harmonizing like adults as well.

In my opinion, however, the true gems of this soundtrack are the recordings by the Soggy Bottom Boys, featuring Tim Blake Nelson and Dan Tyminski. "In The Jailhouse Now" is just fun to listen to, and knowing that Tim Blake Nelson and John Tuturro actually sang their parts for the movie rather than lip-synching adds an authenticity that is hard to get from Hollywood these days.

"I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow" is, however, the spiritual center of the movie and the most outstanding part of the soundtrack. In the movie, George Clooney did such an excellent job lip-synching that moviegoers swore he was really singing the tune. It was actually the work of Dan Tyminski, though Tim Blake Nelson and John Tuturro again sang their own parts. This song simply sticks in your head and stays there, and for once that's a good thing. Tyminski's vocals are outstanding, and the two recordings are distinctive enough that one appreciates both versions being included on the soundtrack.

Another noteworthy aspect of this CD is the liner notes by the Coen brothers, who unabashedly lament the disappearance of this style of music from Nashville in favor of 'modern country music.' It is an interesting perspective from two filmmakers who always seem to have something important to say through their art.


Album of the Year - And It Deserves It!   March 3, 2002
 101 out of 112 found this review helpful

I think many, many people almost fell out of their seats at the 2002 Grammy Awards when 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?' won the Grammy for Album of the Year. When you think about it, it never should have happened. The disc received almost no radio airplay. Country stations wouldn't touch it. The disc (and the film) gained a following mainly through word-of-mouth. So what makes this collection of country-folk-bluegrass music so popular as we begin the 21st Century?

I believe that audiences (especially those 30 years of age and older) are tired of the trend of mostly mindless electronic music that either has no originality or recycled songs from the past. As our lives and society have become more complex, we need something to counterbalance that complexity, something to carry us back to times and ideas that are more simple. There is nothing musically or lyrically complex about the songs here. They have very simple structure musically and can be easily understood. But the songs also (many of them) appeal to spiritual matters. You won't hear spiritual themes in music played on most radio stations. "Down to the River to Pray," "I'll Fly Away," "O Death," "Angel Band," and many others deal with spiritual issues that, let's face it, we all have thought about or will think about. Our country gets almost no spiritual nourishment from any entertainment medium: television, film, novels, theatre, or popular music. I think people, whether they realize it or not, are drawn to this type of music and make a connection with it. I don't think it's too much to say that the recognition this disc has received is a major turning point in popular music. Who knows where it will go from here?

As music goes, the 'O Brother' soundtrack is the front door of a mansion with many rooms. So many styles are represented here: folk, spirituals, work songs, country, bluegrass. The disc should be looked upon as a starting point for a universe American roots music that is vast and amazing. Take the plunge and enjoy.


Who needs a review?   December 31, 2000
 86 out of 89 found this review helpful

At first I was thinking: why even review this? I suspected that most people wouldn't need the help of a review when deciding whether to buy this particular CD--they probably saw the movie and realized at about thirty seconds in to "Man of Constant Sorrow" that they had to have the soundtrack. But then I thought, people might be taking a look over the track list because of one or two favorite artists, trying to decide if they really want to take the plunge. If that description fits you: don't hesitate. Buy it. This is perhaps the most sublime compilation ever arranged of Americana: a mix of folk, blues, bluegrass, and gospel music, the full effect of which transcends period or genres. After getting this, I have about three or four new artists on my wish list for buying new CDs.

Outstanding tracks are both vocal versions of "Man of Constant Sorrow," "Down In The River To Pray," "O Death," "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues," and "I'll Fly Away," but you can listen to this from beginning to end, over and over, and not easily tire. As someone else pointed out, this is not like other soundtrack CDs--there are no weak links or unevenness here, no filler. Every cut is grade-A choice. Some, in fact, are dangerously addictive. I've owned the CD less than a day and played "Man of Constant Sorrow" about twenty times now. I feel like a rat pushing its lever again and again to get a buzz of sheer bliss.


Oh brother..you better buy this Soundtrack!   December 6, 2000
 80 out of 89 found this review helpful

As rich as the history of modern film-making has been, the history of its accompanying music has unfortunately been less so. Looking back over the course of so many films the viewer is quick to recall the few outstanding soundtracks: Ennio Morricone's score for Sergio Leone's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and the score for The Godfather among others. Sometimes the soundtrack to a film has overshadowed or even outclassed the film that it was meant to support; the Eurythmics soundtrack for 1984 and the soundtrack of The Cotton Clubimmediately come to mind.

Ideally a film soundtrack should be the crowning glory of a movie, evoking a sense of time and atmosphere while subtlety conveying to the audience the vagaries of plot direction. The music used in the film Platoon was a perfect example of music and film working in harmony. Armed with an apparently discordant collection of sixties rock and orchestral movements, the soundtrack of Platoon gave the movie (and the viewer) a rich sense of time and place..and drama. Examples of poor soundtracks in films are legion and not worth discussing; even worse, the recent trends of releasing soundtracks "in the spirit of " movies -where the songs included are not in the movie, nor nearly relevant to it- is an execrable example of crass commercial exploitation.

No, a good soundtrack should not be an addition to a movie, it should be an integral part of it. It is that very quality which makes the soundtrack to Ethan and Joel Coen's O Brother, Where Art Thou? such an excellent one.

Set in the American South sometime in the 1930's the movie centers around the trials and tribulations of three escaped cons- centering around their journey of escape. To support this story famed record producer T Bone Burnett has assembled some of the most evocative and engaging music to be included in a film in a long time. Relying primarily on the Country Bluegrass and Mountain Music traditions Burnett has assembled a stellar repitoire to accompany this film. From recordings of prison gang cadences done by the great music historian Alan Lomax ("Po Lazarus") to songs composed specially for the movie ("I am a man of constant Sorrow") Burnett treats the reader to a musical sampling which first engages, then entrances the listener.

To be sure, this music is not for everyone, this is real country music, real angst set against a backdrop of what might be derisively called "twang and boing" music. But it is the very earthy qualities of this music, stripped of technological pretense, which makes its impact so visceral. No thinking person could listen to the stirring song "O Death" without almost instantly feeling a deep compassion for the people who lived through the times and conditions which elicited such a song. Conversely, songs such as "In the Highways" and "Big Rock Candy Mountain" bring light and joy to the soundtrack without denying the spirit and circumstance of the song's origins.

The soundtrack for "O Brother Where Art Thou?" is entertaining and informative on its own, taking the listener on a journey to remote areas of the American South in a time long past; leaving the listener wiser and perhaps a bit more thoughtful. On its own this soundtrack is an important addition to any music lover's archive and is bound to win awards. As an adjunct to the movie it's bound to send the movie Oscar bound.


The angels have come down to earth   January 16, 2001
 54 out of 56 found this review helpful

Never in my wildest dreams would I have dared to imagine the collection offered in the soundtrack for "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" Traditional music champions Norman Blake and Gillian Welch, bluegrass giants Ralph Stanley, Alison Krauss and Union Station (featuring Dan Tyminski), newgrass pioneers Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, and Stuart Duncan, and gospel masters The Whites and The Cox Family, join the very best a capella group ever (in my humble opinion), the Fairfield Four, for an unparalleled evocation of a singularly magical time and place.

I especially appreciate the four renditions of Carter Stanley's "A Man of Constant Sorrow," which showcase the variety of expression found in traditional country music. Chris Thomas King's rendition of "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues" has me sold on this (new to me) artist. As for Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, and Gillian Welch's rendition of the lullabye "Didn't Leave Nobody but the Baby," these sirens can carry me away anytime.

Best of all, this music makes you think, deep and hard. Who can remain unmoved by the overpowering humanity of "Big Rock Candy Mountain" (with the original lyrics- this ain't the song you learned in grade school) and "O Death?" This music stems from real human experience and will touch your soul.

Who knows? With this CD's popularity, maybe country musicians will start singing the blues again!