The Stanley Brothers - 16 Greatest Gospel Hits (CD)

Benchmark for a Genre

By Roger  Jun 13, 2005

Pros: Sets the bar for the best of Bluegrass Gospel

Cons: If you don't have an affinity for the style, its not for you

There is a world difference between the country pop "music" spawned by the popular artists such as Garth Brooks and Shania Twain and the authentic, heartfelt stylings of mountain artist such as the Stanley Brothers. The former is heavily pr...oduced psuedo country with very litle authenticity. The latter is truly the real deal, and it is epitomized by this CD. Even before "O Brother Where Art Thou" helped popularize Ralph Stanley, I had been turned on to mountain music by a college buddy who attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. While the music can be categorized as "hillbilly", I think that label can be misconstrued as derogatory. If there is such as thing as "white soul music", this is it. There is a bit of a dark nature to much of the Stanley Brothers music. Let's face it, "O Death" is not the most cheerful tunes I've ever heard, but it sure is haunting. Almost every song on this CD has the theme that better things are to come on the other side of this life, which could classify this as a "Bluegrass Spiritual" (since it focuses on the hereafter instead of how Jesus can walk with us on earth), but that's almost a technicality. Instead, focus on the harmonies and instrumentation and this CD will blow you away. While Ralph took most of the vocal leads, its always a treat to hear the raw mountain voice of Carter Stanley taking the lead on at least a portion of some tracks. Check out "Rank Strangers" and "Drinking from the Fountain" for some prime examples. Also, their version of "I'll Fly Away", covered by Gillian Welch and Allison Krause on the "O Brother" Soundtrack is one of those tunes that makes you try and sing three part harmony all by yourself. This CD is hard to find and tough to beat. Read more Less