O Brother Where Art Thou? (Original Soundtrack)

Every once in a while, a movie comes along that has a soundtrack that fits it like a glove - 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?' is definitely one of them.

The music from the film taps into the source from which the purest strains of country, blues, bluegrass, folk, and gospel music flow. Highly skilled producer, T Bone Burnett enlists the voices of Alison Krauss, Gillian Welch, Emmylou Harris, Ralph Stanley, and kindred spirits for performances of traditional material, in arrangements that are either a cappella or feature bare-bones accompaniment.

Highlights range from the aching purity of Krauss's "Down to the River to Pray" to the plainspoken faith of the Whites' "Keep on the Sunny Side" to Stanley's chillingly plaintive "O Death." The album's spiritual centerpiece finds Krauss, Welch, and Harris harmonizing on "Didn't Leave Nobody but the Baby," a gospel lullaby that sounds like a chorus of Appalachian angels. And, of course, there is the unforgettable main theme song "I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow", sung by Dan Tyminski and The Soggy Bottom Boys.

The 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?' soundtrack is a hugely enjoyable listen that is a compelling tribute to the traditional genres of bluegrass and mountain music.

THE MOVIE:
Films by Joel and Ethan Cohen are guaranteed exercises in eccentricity - and 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?' exceeds all expectations. Set in the Deep South in 1937, three shackled convicts are on the run: shyster Everett (Golden Globe best actor George Clooney, sporting spectacularly pompadour hair), surly Pete (Turturro) and simpleminded Delmar (Nelson). Everett has talked his buddies into helping him unearth buried loot but his true mission is to find his ex-wife (Holly Hunter). Along the way they cut a hit record, meet a corrupt politician and encounter the Ku Klux Klan...Loosely based on Homer's The Odyssey, O Brother has been hailed as witty and insightful, with heroes delivering splendid comic performances.