Oh Brother, Can You Spare A Dime? American Songs From The Depression Era

Performer: Various Artists
Producer: Peter Rowan; Tim O'Brien
Distributor: E1 Distribution (USA)

Notes: Personnel: Peter Rowan (vocals, guitar, mandolin); Tim O'Brien (vocals, guitar); Stuart Duncan (mandolin, fiddle). Photographer: Toni Wells. Arranger: M. Christian. Oh Brother, Can You Spare a Dime collects Depression-era songs done by recent and contemporary bluegrass artists, and unfortunately the bluegrass approach has a tendency to undermine the poignancy of some of these laments, rendering them a little too jaunty for their own good. Released on CMH Records (the company that puts out that seemingly endless Pickin' On series), this collection has a flat and generic feel to it, and is a perfect example of why bluegrass (Ralph Stanley aside) generally is more about kinetics than it is about emotional content. The most effective tracks here aren't really bluegrass at all, like Peter Rowan's folky take on "No Depression in Heaven" or Tim O'Brien's version of the title tune. Merle Travis' impressive "Cocaine Blues" is hardly bluegrass, either, and the Osborne Brothers' soaring dual-fiddle rendition of "I'll Fly Away" is bluegrass of a different stripe, retaining some old string band qualities. In the end, most of the performances here tend to flatten the emotional kick of these venerable old songs of desperation, dwindling possibilities, and defiant but skewed optimism, leaving Can You Spare a Dime? in the position of being an intriguing concept perhaps too quickly assembled. ~ Steve Leggett Released on CMH Records (the company that puts out the Pickin' On series), Oh Brother, Can You Spare a Dime collects Depression-era songs done by recent and contemporary bluegrass artists, although the most effective tracks here aren't really bluegrass at all, like Peter Rowan's folky take on "No Depression in Heaven" or Tim O'Brien's version of the title tune. Merle Travis' impressive "Cocaine Blues" is hardly bluegrass, either, and the Osborne Brothers' soaring dual-fiddle rendition of "I'll Fly Away" is bluegrass of a different stripe, retaining some old string band qualities. In the end, the emotional kick of these venerable old songs of desperation, dwindling possibilities, and defiant but skewed optimism is what carries the day, rather than the genre in which they are presented. ~ Steve Leggett

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