by Rick Anderson
This collection was released to coincide with the release of Joel & Ethan Coen's film O Brother, Where Art Thou?, which features Ralph Stanley's a cappella rendition of &Oh, Death& and a number of other traditional bluegrass songs long associated with Stanley, including the immortal &Man of Constant Sorrow.& This album brings together 13 classic tracks from the Stanley catalog; highlights include the title track, the absolutely hair-raising &Oh, Death,& and a stirring version of &I've Just Seen the Rock of Ages.& That last song, recorded in the early '70s, has never been released on CD before and features the lead singing of a very young Keith Whitley, who would later go on to significant success as a country singer. The only quibble one could make with this excellent collection is its length, which, at 33 minutes, is pretty skimpy for a best-of collection. But as an introduction to Ralph Stanley's singular brand of mountain music, you couldn't do better than this album.