07/21/2002
By MARIO TARRADELL / The Dallas Morning News
The 13 American-roots artists who graced the Smirnoff Music Centre stage Saturday night didn't just come down from the mountain, they brought it with them.
And what a glorious gift it was. The Dallas stop of the critically acclaimed Down From the Mountain tour was packed with stellar singers and musicians. We got performances from the Nashville Bluegrass Band, Norman & Nancy Blake, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Emmylou Harris, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Chris Thomas King, the Flatlanders, Patty Loveless, the Peasall Sisters, the Whites, the Cox Family, Ralph Stanley and master of ceremonies Rodney Crowell. *
The show, modeled after the Down From the Mountain documentary concert film, offered music from the 6-million-selling O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack as well as songs from the individual artists' repertoire. The sound of the evening was a unified whole - spare, acoustic and passionate.
Each act, introduced by Mr. Crowell, played no more than three songs at a time. But many of the artists took the platform more than once. Modern-day bluegrass queen Ms. Krauss played three times, including the stirring "Nothing but the Baby" a capella with fellow songstresses Ms. Harris and Ms. Loveless.
It was truly a magical night of honest music. An appreciative crowd of almost 7,000 seemed totally enthralled by the talent onstage. Plus, this was hardly your usual Dallas concert audience. They were quiet and well behaved. During Mr. Crowell's poignant and powerful "I Know Love Is All I Need," you could hear every guitar chord he strummed, every word he sang. You could have even heard a cricket chirp.
Maybe there's a certain respect for the timeless beauty of American-roots music. Certainly the astonishing success of the O Brother album, a record that sold largely on word-of-mouth not radio airplay, is a testament to the heartfelt appeal of bluegrass, old-timey country, Delta blues and folk spirituals. This music takes people to a simpler place they once were, and long to be again.
Otherwise, it's just great music. There was Ms. Harris' haunting rendition of "Going Back to Harlan" and the Nashville Bluegrass Band's rollicking "Honky Tonk Swing." Just as good were Mr. Blake's spirited take on "Big Rock Candy Mountain" and Ms. Krauss & Union Station's gorgeous "Down to the River to Pray."
And of course there's Union Station guitarist, mandolinist and singer Dan Tyminski's cover of the classic "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow." The song is the official O Brother theme, a tune so earthy and jubilant it belies its somber title. Consequently, the song has become the anthem of the roots resurgence, and the Down From the Mountain tour is the perfect gig to spotlight it.