Customer Reviews

Songcatcher II: The Tradition That Inspired the Movie

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As tireless a defender as I am of the first Songcatcer album against those who dismiss it as little more than slick, overproduced Nashville product (interesting country radio has shunned it, if such is the case) or who gripe that it isn't the music from the film (most of the songs in the film were only sung in short snippets, and the exceptions, such as Iris DeMents stunning version of "Pretty Saro," WERE included) I must admit that the second volume is even better.

Whereas the first volume was mostly of songs that were inspired by the movie, this second consists of songs that, in their own way, inspired the movie. All the songs here are traditional songs, hundreds of years old with origins from the British Isles that were preserved well into the 20th century by residents of rural parts of the southern Appalachians. Not quite field recordings, but hardly pop versions of these songs, the tracks here are all taken from Vangaurd's remarkable archive of folk recordings.

The Doc Watson tracks as so exemplary that they alone are worth the price of admission, his take on the old British ballad "Georgie" (aka "Geordie," in some versions) creating such an evocative tale that the song almost sounds like it could have been recorded anytime over the past 450 years. Other songs here follow suit and the whole package (which comes with good liner notes) makes one yearn for even more.

Songcatcher was a flawed and peculiarly unlikable film, but if nothing else, it brought two worthy CDs into the world. The first, released last year, featured contemporary artists, mostly Nashville-based acts, who reinterpreted the Southern-mountain tradition in innovative modern settings. Entertaining as its predecessor was, Songcatcher II has the virtue of being the real deal. Its artists grew up in that tradition without ever thinking of it as "folk music." Their performances are unadorned, sometimes even unaccompanied, as in the stark singing of Arkansas's Almeda Riddle and Kentucky's Sarah Ogan Gunning (whose "Girl of Constant Sorrow" is a radical -- in both senses of the adjective -- rewrite, not simply a gender-altered version, of the by now well-known ballad).

A number of the performances are live, taken from Newport Folk Festival appearances in the 1960s. All four Doc Watson pieces, however, come from his classic Home Again! disc of the same period. This is not a complaint, just an observation; it's one of Doc's finest albums, and the most purely traditional of his Vanguard period. His unforgettable reading of the lyrical "Winter's Night" is mountain music at its most chillingly, achingly lovely.

Whether you're hearing Watson, Cousin Emmy, Roscoe Holcomb, Dock Boggs, Maybelle Carter, and the rest, for the first time or catching their songs yet again, you're going to be moved and thrilled. How fortunate, in an age that needs its beauty and truth more than ever, that this deep and honest music is finding a broad audience once more.

In Appalachian lingo, a songcatcher is someone who "catches" (learns) ballads, preserving them with a recording device. The surprise success of O Brother, Where Art Thou? naturally encouraged projects such as the film Songcatcher and its spinoff Songcatcher: Music From And Inspired By The Motion Picture. Songcatcher II moves backward from Vanguard's earlier Songcatcher cd. Here are 17 tracks from the 1960s by 10 true songcatchers (most in their autumn years), with four ballads each from Almeda Riddle and the disc's sole surviving singer, the blind guitar wiz Doc Watson.

Some tracks come from 1960s Newport Folk Festivals. Others, such as Watson's and Riddle's, enjoy the studio sound that justified Vanguard's old motto "recordings for the connoisseur." Variants of two O Brother classics appear: Doc Boggs' fearful "O Death" and Sarah Ogan Gunning's a cappella "Maid Of Constant Sorrow." The latter reflects Gunning's life in an impoverished Kentucky mining town where, to paraphrase Merle Travis, folks owed their souls to the company store. My favorite is Watson's six-minute tale of deadly infidelity, "Matty Groves," - one of the songs brought to America by Scottish and English settlers.

For those who say they were disappointed in the original "Songcatcher" collection this second edition might help. No, it doesn't contain music that was in the film (something that would be pretty pointless given that music of the music in the film was short snippets) but is a collection of traditional folk recording from the archives of Vanguard records. Worth getting if you didn't like the original. Worth getting even if you did.

I had seen the original movie of The Songcatcher and enjoyed the history and sound of the music. Then I began to look for a copy of it and couldn't find one, so when I saw that the music was available I ordered it from Amazon. It's a wonderful history of how music began in this country. I love it. Hollywood decided to do a remake of the movie, but it isn't as authentic a story as the first, too bad they have to mess with stuff they don't understand. As for dealing with Amazon, I am always satisfied with the efficiency and ease of purchase. Thank you.

Don't get the official movie soundtrack... waste of money. Here you will find songs you can't get out of your head... in a good way.

This is a song to song review.1. Almeda Riddle "Babes In The Wood" (5 stars) This woman's voice is amazing. It reminds me of my grandma. Her voice could easily put me to sleep.2. Doc Watson "Georgie" (5 stars) This song could get 5 stars just for the music.3. Hobart Smith "The Coo Coo Bird" (4 stars) I do not like this song but, the banjo playing is great. Plus, this is the best version I have heard.4. Almeda Riddle "The Two Lovers" (5 stars) It is hard to believe somebody could sound so good on a song without music.5. Doc Watson "Matty Groves" (5 stars) This song is so incredibly sad. The music is great.6. Dock Boggs "Oh Death" (2 stars) This might sound better if ol Dock wasn't drunk . But, I doubt it.7. Sarah Ogan Gunning "Girl Of Constant Sorrow" (3 stars) I do not like Sarah's voice but I do like how it tell's the story of coal miner's unlike other version's of this song.8. Doc Watson "Winter's Night" (5 stars) The music and the singing is great. Especially the singing.9. Almeda Riddle "Black Jack Davey" (5 stars) Again, the singing is amazing. The melody and the song are so innocent in their simplicity.10. Dock Boggs "Sugar Baby" (2 stars) This man needed to find a new occupation because he couldn't sing.11. Cousin Emmy "Wish I Was A Single Girl Again" (4 stars) The banjo playing again is excellent. Emmy's voice brings a sense of fun to this track.12. Fiddlin' Arthur Smith "Leather Britches" (4 stars) The playing is good but at times it is too high pitched.13. Almeda Riddle "Will The Weaver" (5 stars) This song is the best. Once again, amazing vocals. Also, this song has a great dark humor to it.14. Roscoe Holcomb "Little Birdie" (3 stars) The vocals were a little off.15. Doc Watson "Pretty Saro" (4 stars) Doc's voice is great. This song is great. But I like Iris Dement's version better. You can find Iris' version on Songcatcher 1.16. Clarence Ashley "House Carpenter" (3 stars) I don't really know what to think of this track.17. Maybelle Carter "Come All Ye Fair And Tender Ladies" ( 5 stars) This song is beautiful. It is sung by one of the best voices of all time. The autoharp playing is excellent.My comments on the whole album is that it is a great album, but the Dock Boggs tracks are stinkers.Corey & Robert

I grew up here in southern Kentucky along the Cumberland Gap. This music rings in my childhood memories. My Mama and aunts and cousins sittin around on the porch of Aunt Marthys playin an singin these and other songs. Some words are different from the ones recorded (Songcatcher) like the song of Barbry Allen. But these are songs that I now sing with my daughters and hope they sing with theirs someday. I hope they won't be lost.

very good - a requested birthday gift, so it was wanted. Thank you.
Lorna Doone Duterrow

I watched the movie, Songcatcher, and became interested in the music. Folk music, like this, is purely American. It may have its foundations in many cultures, but its roots are here, just like America. This compilation is one of several I own, and it is a very good, diverse sampling of this soulful, heartfelt music. I throughly enjoy it.