Customer Reviews

O Sister! The Women's Bluegrass Collection

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Where the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack had Ralph Stanley as the patriarch of the roster of artists, this collection from the Rounder label (long known for its folk and bluegrass recordings) has Delia Bell and Wilma Lee Cooper as the matriarchs of this fine collection of bluegrass. Taken from the artists' individual albums rather than being recorded for this specific recording, the listener is nonetheless presented with some of the finest bluegrass music in the country today. [Note: I did NOT qualify that statement by gender!] Song selection ranges from the upbeat ("If Wishes Were Horses"), to the mournful ("Sad Situation") to the inspirational ("Will There Be Any Stars?"). Most of these tracks were recorded within the past decade and several have appeared on other Rounder collections (notably Hand-Picked: 25 Years of Bluegrass), but if you're looking for a solid introduction to bluegrass music led by women, this is an excellent primer. RECOMMENDED

this CD offers lots of good music, but it just lacks the compelling "play-it-again" quality of "O Brother." I bought the CD, enjoyed it, gave it to friends to listen to, but I've not played it after that first time. I like the idea of "O Sister" -- there has been a lot of good music in this genre made by women, but I think that those who compiled this CD just missed the mark. The songs don't fit together as well as they could & they often lack the "sing-along" quality of much of my favorite Bluegrass. Some of the musicians are not represented as well as they could be by the selections & I think (as the other reviewers have remarked) that MANY songs could have been included that weren't. Buy the CD or borrow a friend's if you are so inclined -- I doubt you'll really regret it -- it's just that it became just so much filler in my CD tower, not really getting the "airtime" that my other bluegrass CD's do (like "O Brother" or Kristen Hersh's "Murder, Misery, and then Goodnight" or DryBranch FireSquad or even Dolly Parton's peppy "Little Sparrow" or any of the traditional bluegrass like Doc Watson or Bill Monroe, etc.) I'm not sorry I bought this CD, but it's not as good as I know it could have been....

After listening to just few tracks of this WOMEN'S BLUEGRASS COLLECTION...can only say one thing "O SISTER WHERE ART THOU", when you think this was for "men musicians only"...well think again after you sample this album, the gals are in the top form...19 tracks of unforgettable bluegrass, and the ladies are singing "Pure Americana".

I can remember as a youngster playing records by "Mother" Maybelle Carter, what an incredible sound came from this wonderful entertainer, will never forget those early years of "Mountain Music"...now let's look at Ronda Vincent's "LONESOME WIND BLUES", digging into the roots of bluegrass...and the warm style of Lynn Morris singing "MAMA'S HAND", touches the heart of everyone who has left the nest...nobody does gospel like The Cox Family on "WILL THERE BE ANY STARS?", joined by Alison Krauss, takes us to them "Golden Gates", doesn't get any better than this.

Rounder Records deserves a lot of credit for having the insight in releasing bluegrass that has been considered America's early form of music...thanks to Rounder's vast vault of music we can now hear both versions by men and WOMEN!

Total Time: 55:49 on 19 Tracks ~ Rounder Records 11661-0499-2 ~ (2001)

I disagree PROFOUNDLY with the other two reviewers. This is a great introduction to a part of bluegrass that has only recently come to the attention of the public. Of course, bluegrass has only come to the attention of the greater American public via that Down from the Mountain tour and the O Brother Where Art Thou? film. Those of us who have loved bluegrass for any length of time PRIOR to those excursions know that great bluegrass is where you find great instrumentalists and vocalists. This collection shows the very best of both worlds. The singers capture great depth in their emotionally charged songs, and these girls show that the "bluegrass boys network" is not closed, and that they, too can pick with the best of them. Definitely well worth every penny!!

Beginning with If wishes were horses by Claire Lynch (my favorite bluegrass singer), this is a thoroughly enjoyable collection of bluegrass music by some of the finest ladies in the business.

Apart from Claire, you will find tracks by Rhonda Vincent, The Stevens sisters, Laurie Lewis, the Cox Family, Alison Krauss and Lynn Morris to name just a few.

Hazel Dickens gets three tracks, including two duets - she is clearly the favorite of the compiler, as she gets four tracks on O sister 2. If the idea is to sell more of Hazel's own CD's, it may not work, as some people may decide they don't need any more. This would be a shame, as Hazel is a fine singer.

This collection has already been very successful, deservedly so. Rounder have released a follow-up, O sister 2, while Warners in Britain have released a double-CD, O sister where art thou, although that compilation is not limited to bluegrass.

The collection of songs on "O Brother" was made very deliberately, with a wonderful ear toward a "comprehensive" overall sound. But there was no such brilliant and strong guiding force at work for "O Sister", which is essentially a compilation of various female Rounder artistes.

Don't get me wrong - I like many of the songs included here, but they don't always blend together in the best way.

I haven't yet heard a superb compliation collection of female bluegrass artistes, but if you want to hear an excellent and cohesive collection of Rounder artists, buy the 2-CD "Hand Picked: 25 Years of Bluegrass".

This is essentially a sampler album of female bluegrass artists with Rounder Records. Like all sampler albums it lacks overall coherence, but like all good sampler albums it is a great way to discover artists new to you. Few record labels could pull this off well, but Rounder has the catalog with enough depth to do it. If you like bluegrass (and who doesn't?) and you like female vocalists then this album is well worth owning.

I found this at the listening station at Streetlight Records and after hearing 3 songs, i was ready to buy it. It sounds like your mama's singing you to sleep and she brought her banjo with her. The only thing I'm not sure of is if these are all new songs, new recordings of old songs, or what, but they certainly aren't old recordings. i think it might have been interesting if they were. but, nonetheless, this is an excellent cd for anyone into bluegrass, or wanting to explore country music that (isn't bad).

This was a fabulous collection of females - all different songs, all different voices. I was looking to buy another Allison Kraus CD but decided to explore Bluegrass in this collection. I have played the cd probably 50+ times since I bought it not long ago.

You can not go wrong with this CD. Pardon Me is my absolute favorite - a love song like absolutely no other I've ever heard.

There are 19 tracks on this CD and with the exception of 1-2 songs, this may well be one of the best bluegrass CDs I own. What a buy! Eight More Miles with Laurie Lewis, Claire Lynch, Lynn Morris and Rhonda Vincent steal the show here. I have been a lover of bluegrass for over 25 years and this CD is a must have for everyone.