Bluegrass Hits: Twenty Timeless Favorites from Yesterday and Today

1	Heartbreak Number Nine 2:58
2	My First Mistake / Alecia Nugent 3:12
3	High Lonesome / Longview 4:03
4	If Wishes Were Horses / Claire Lynch 2:36
5	Me and John and Paul / The Grascals 3:14
6	Still Climbing Mountains / Blue Highway 3:40
7	Drivin' Nails in My Coffin / Rhonda Vincent 3:04
8	I Know the Way to You by Heart / Weary Hearts 3:02
9	Tom Dooley / Rob Ickes 3:32
10	Hard Times / Open Road 4:30
11	I Don't Know Why / Union Station 2:45
12	I Dreamed of an Old Love Affair / Dan Tyminksi 2:50
13	I've Waited as Long as I Can / Tony Rice 2:59
14	You'll Get No More of Me / Lynn Morris 3:06
15	Back to the Barrooms Again / J.D. Crowe & the New South 3:29
16	Lonely Moon / Stuart Duncan 3:14
17	Little Maggie / Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder 2:21
18	Everybody's Reaching Out for Someone / The Cox Family 4:14
19	Sounds of the Mountains / Rambler's Choice 2:52
20	Dream of a Miner's Child / The Johnson Mountain Boys 4:16

Barnes & Noble

Despite this disc's subtitle, "yesterday" doesn't refer to bluegrass's distant past but rather to its more recent history. The oldest cut here is the Johnson Mountain Boys' dark, unsettling interpretation of the heartbreaking ballad "Dream of a Miner's Child," a 1988 recording notable both for Dudley Connell's affecting lead vocal and Eddie Stubbs' mournful violin interjections. The Boys' traditional vocal and instrumental sound was the bridge between the first-generation progressives and the music's new breed of innovators, such as Alison Krauss + Union Station and their pop-influenced balladry. Krauss's crystalline, deeply felt vocals and her estimable band's rootsy, acoustic arrangements come together winningly on 1992's sprightly cover of Shawn Colvin's contemplative "I Don't Know Why." Most of the artists here blur the line between progressive and traditional, embracing both approaches as suits their material. Rhonda Vincent nicely balances both sensibilities on her breakneck-paced rendition of the Osborne Brothers' (by way of Ernest Tubb) keening "Drivin' Nails in My Coffin." Pioneering progressive legend J. D. Crowe is given his props with the inclusion of a latter-day gem, an acoustic-driven, mountain-style rendition of Merle Haggard's drinkin' tale "Back to the Barrooms," which allows plenty of room for propulsive solos by mandolin, banjo, and fiddle along the way. Great traditional singing, deep and moving, is rife on songs such as Alecia Nugent's tough-but-wounded tones on the heartbreaker "My First Mistake" -- and throughout this excellent collection, which underscores the vitality of a genre always busy being born. David McGee

All Music Guide

Before one can even consider the music on Bluegrass Hits: Twenty Timeless Favorites from Yesterday and Today, one must confront the buxom brunette on the cover. Yes, she's a handsome lass, a model one supposes, sitting on a blanket in a rustic meadow with a number of bluegrass albums laying about. What does she have to do with 20 timeless hits? Absolutely nothing, but one supposes that an attractive cover sells more albums. There's also the curious subtitle: Twenty Timeless Favorites from Yesterday and Today. How can a song from today be a timeless classic? Well, it probably can't, but it sounds better than naming one's album "Another Repackaging of Songs We Own the Rights To." If one can make it past the sexist cover and the mixed-up title, there's much that the contemporary roots music fan will like about Bluegrass Hits. Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, one of the best bands in the business, kicks the set off with "Heartbreak Number Nine," and he's followed by such luminaries as Claire Lynch, Alison Krauss, and Ricky Skaggs. There's also a good selection of newer artists like Rhonda Vincent, Rob Ickes, and Dan Tyminski. With 20 songs, this is a generous collection, and not unlike listening to an hour-long bluegrass program without any commercials. For anyone looking for a good introduction to Rounder's fine cadre of bluegrass pickers, Bluegrass Hits will fit the bill. Ronnie D. Lankford Jr.