Country musicians, be they alternative, traditional, or neo-traditionalist, never tire of singing praises to
the Carter Family. Heck, even the occasional rocker will say a few kind words about the
Carter legacy. With this type of enthusiasm, there's never a bad time to put together a tribute album like
The Unbroken Circle. The album is packed with VIPs like
Emmylou Harris,
George Jones,
Sheryl Crow, and
Willie Nelson, and it even includes no less than three
Cashes (
Johnny,
June Carter, and
Rosanne). Despite this impressive list,
The Unbroken Circle gets a very rocky start with lukewarm efforts by
Jones,
Crow,
Harris, and
Johnny Cash.
Jones and
Cash sound fairly rough, and
Harris' outing, backed by
the Peasall Sisters, is underwhelming.
Crow's appearance on a country record is somewhat surprising, and perhaps it was meant to add a little pizzazz to the disc. Unfortunately, she sings "No Depression in Heaven" as though she were auditioning for
Freakwater. While the album never quite recovers from this early stumble, there are bright spots after those first four songs.
Marty Stuart offers a truly superb version of "Never Let the Devil Get the Upper Hand of You," filled with creepy ambience and a fine vocal, while
Janette and Joe Carter's take on "Little Moses" sounds more old-time than
the Carter Family. There are solid offerings by
Nelson,
John Prine, and
the Del McCoury Band before everything comes to a crash landing with the less polished contributions of
June Carter Cash and
Kris Kristofferson. While fans of the artists on this compilation may want to check it out, there are better
Carter Family collections (Bristol by
Ginny Hawker and Kay Justice and Songs of the Carter Family by
Jody Stecher and
Kate Brislin), and there's always the option of listening to
the Carter Family themselves. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford Jr.