When we look back a decade hence Songcatcher II may well be seen as an important part of the fuse that set off another folk explosion. If so, the fuse was lit by the films and soundtracks to Oh,Brother Where Art Thou and Songcatcher. The Coen brothers' Oh Brother phenomenon has blown new life into the corporate country's interest in it's blue grass roots by grafting classical mythology onto an Appalachian base, while Songcatcher is an interesting, if flawed, enterprise that slips too often into a schizoid chasm between romance novel and feminist polemic. The music in both films, however, is mostly wonderful. In Songcatcher, certain songs were actually captured only as incomplete fragments, enough for the needs of the film but not sufficient for a proper recording. This compilation more than makes up for that lack of foresight.
One of the premiere labels of the Sixties folk boom, Vanguard presumably has deep vaults filled with gems just waiting to be placed in new settings like Songcatcher II. Although all the artists on the disk except Doc Watson have departed this material plane, their performances and this music have more life and vital juice than most of the stuff released today and especially what gets heard on the airwaves. Songcatcher II isn't about youth, high production values or flavor of the month fashionability. It relies instead on the timeless value of good songs --mostly ballads -- that tell a compelling story presented by performers who don't let ego or avarice get in the way of their heartfelt interpretations of the material. While an old geezer like myself might need strong light and reading glasses to deal with the tiny type, the booklet about the artists and material is well written and informative.
With one instrumental exception -- Fiddlin' Arthur Smith's take on "Leather Britches," Songcatcher II is filled with authentic voices singing songs that have been passed along from one singer to another, in some cases for centuries. The tale of little "Matty Groves" caught in the arms of Lord Donald's wife (in Doc Watson's version) might have been the hot news of the Highlands in 1563 or whenever, but this tale of love, lust, adultery and retribution still rings true in 2002. Doc's distinctive voice and guitar are also heard on "Georgie", "Winter's Night" and a particularly wonderful take on "Pretty Saro."
The other performers are Almeda Riddle, with her marvelously straightforward and heartfelt unaccompanied vocal versions of "Babes in the Woods," "The Two Lovers," "Black Jack Davy," and "Will the Weaver"; Dock Boggs sings "Oh Death" which made such a strong impression when it was used in the film Oh, Brother, and a swell take on "Sugar Baby"; "Cousin" Emmy Hobart Smith sings "The Coo Coo Bird" to a great flailing banjo; Sarah Ogan Gunning performs "Girl of Constant Sorrow," as a female labor union activist folk processing of "Man of Constant Sorrow"; Roscoe Holcomb gives us a great version of "Little Birdie"; Clarence Ashley is heard on "House Carpenter." No compilation of Appalachian traditional music would be complete without one of the Carter Family and Songcatcher II closes with Maybelle Carter singing "Come All Ye Fair and Tender Ladies" while accompanying herself on autoharp... damn, that sound just cuts right to the heart.
Listening to this recording I found myself thinking back to the first time I heard some of these songs such as "House Carpenter" and "The Coo Coo Bird" sung by Tim Hardin and Taj Mahal respectively. I thought about all of the (then) younger artists who brought traditional ballads from the back porches to the hootenannies, open mikes and festival stages... Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Pentangle... and how those songs and artists in turn begat countless singer songwriters and folk rock bands. I also considered my college age daughter's enthusiasm for the Oh,Brother Where Art Thou and Songcatcher films and soundtracks. Those who worry that Hip Hop or Techno or whatever other popular style might be blasting from the sound system when they enter the local music shop will somehow permanently crowd out traditional folk songs might as well worry that the out going tide will never return. These songs, like Shakespeare's plays, will periodically slip quietly backstage to take a nap or have a wee dram, but they'll always find new settings, new costumes, new voices and return to galvanize the audience, if not for tonight's performance then during tomorrow's matinee.
