Cold Mountain (Music From The Miramax Motion Picture)

Sony Music jumps on the bandwagon of Americana with a collection of traditional country from "Cold Mountain", the Anthony Minghella's Civil War film featuring nineteen tracks of soundtrack and score ~ featuring Stuart Duncan, Cassie Franklin, Dirk Powell, Tim Eriksen, Riley Baugus, Tim O'Brien, Alison Krauss, Jack White, Sacred Harp Singers (at Liberty Church) and the score composed by Gabriel Yared who seemingly brings all the characters to life through his magnificent music.

Plain to see the brand of T-Bone Burnett on this compilation, much like "O Brother, Where Art Thou?", the same driving force with cues like "THE SCARLET TIDE", brings the song writing talent of Elvis Costello and voice of Alison Krauss with harmony by Cheryl White to the fore and "YOU WILL BE MY AIN TRUE LOVE", another beautiful composition from String who also sings backup with Alison ~ "WAYFARING STRANGER", "SITTIN' ON TOP OF THE WORLD", "NEVER FAR AWAY", "CHRISTMAS WILL SOON BE OVER" and "GREAT HIGH MOUNTAIN", features blues, gospel, folk and country with an unforgettable interpretation by songwriter/vocalist Jack White (who debuted in this film).

My stand out pick is "I'M GOING HOME", performed by the Sacred Harp Singers at Liberty Church unleash the power of four part harmony that goes back one hundred and ten years ~ haunting and vibrate makes the floor shake with their sound ~ this cue is well worth the price of the album...gotta love it!

Total Time: 63:07 on 19 Tracks ~ Sony 86843 ~ (12/16/2003)

"Cold Mountain", an extraordinary piece of art in its own right, is greatly improved by its soundtrack. This wonderful soundtrack really creates the atmosphere of the South during the Civil War era. Fans of the accomplished Gabriel Yared (The English Patient, Message in a Bottle, Sylvia) will want to pick this one up as he composes the score. Numerous songs are provided by Jack White, Oscar-nominee Alison Krauss (who sings my favorite songs on the album), Tim Eriksen, Riley Baugus, and more. Though I must warn you, this soundtrack is definitely not for everyone. Some of the songs work well with the film (11. Christmas Time Will Soon Be Over - Jack White), but definitely not on their own. In addition, many songs on here are bluegrass, country, and folk; genres that are often parodied and ridiculed by mainstream music fans. However, if you enjoyed any of the music in the film, this is the CD for you. Unlike many other soundtracks which shall remain nameless, every single piece of music in the film is included on the soundtrack in its full and complete form.

FAVORITES:
4.) The Scarlet Tide - Alison Krauss
8.) You Will Be My Ain True Love - Alison Krauss
14. Great High Mountain - Jack White
15.-18.) All of Gabriel Yard's score
19.) Idumea - Sacred Harp Singers At Liberty Church

Regardless of what you feel about Titanic, its soundtrack was a success in that its music resonated the same feel, or aura, as the movie did, and everytime you listened to it, the music brought back feelings and impressions you felt while watching the movie. Cold Mountain's soundtrack does the same and that makes it a successful soundtrack, in my opinion. You relive the movie through the soundtrack vividly; both the movie and its soundtrack strike the same emotional chords and both complement each others artistic style.

I'm not familiar with bluegrass music, so I can't say if this is a successful bluegrass compilation or not, but I suspect it isn't, because that wasn't the goal of this production. The goal was to use music as a means to amplify the themes and emotions portrayed in the film--the songs were used very well to serve as musical exclamation points for key scenes.

You really can't separate the movie Cold Mountain from its music. Like with Titanic, its soundtrack was inseparable from the movie. While I was watching Cold Mountain with my husband, both of us commented on how good the songs were during the movie.

This soundtrack has received a LOT of criticism for not being an true bluegrass album, but a lot of people are forgetting this is a movie soundtrack, not a historical folk album. Cold Mountain is a war epic and love story, not a movie about bluegrass, so its songs are not going to be limited to only historical folk songs--songs that will help further the plot or help to bring certain scenes to life will be used in a movie soundtrack, because that's the job of the music.

Nobody complained that the music in the Braveheart score was not historically accurate because they were actually contemporary works, and nobody complained that Titanic's music didn't actually exist during the early 1900's because James Horner wrote the songs and James Horner wasn't alive back then. That is because that they are soundtracks for the movie, and the goal of a soundtrack complement the movie. Sometimes, exceptional soundtracks will come along--a great soundtrack to go with a great movie--and Cold Mountain's soundtrack is one of them.

Jack White surprised me with his versatility as an artist. His renditions of songs felt authentic and believable.

For what it's worth, this city slicker was smitten by this production. I experienced a taste of the grandeur, dignity, and beauty of Appalachian history and culture through the movie, and especially through its music. I'm not a fan of country or bluegrass, but I'm a fan of this soundtrack.

When I walked into the theater to watch Cold Mountain, I was expecting a great soundtrack to back up what happened to turn out to be one of the greatest pictures of the year...Back to the Cd...What negative comment can I make?~~ Nothing. This soundtrack made me appreciate yet another genre of music. Wow, as I listen to this beautiful music soothingly pouring into my ears, it makes life a little more clear.

To be more specific...The soundtrack opens with the strong piece of Wandering Stranger performed by the always faithful vocals of Jack White and then is followed by the majestic traditional folk songs Like a Songbird That Has Fallen and I Wish My Baby Was Born. Skipping track four for later, 5 is the unusual Cuckoo song, yet charming at the same time. Another Jack White piece, Sittin At the Top Of the World is another highlight, wait everysong is a highlight I'm sorry!, Am I born To Die, CHristmas Time..., and Ruby with the Eyes That Sparkle, are all true gems.

Now in case you havent heard the compelling voice of the amazing folk/blues icon Alison Kraus then please buy this soundtrack in favor of My Ain True Love, what a phenomenal song, and also a golden globe contender! The Scarlett Tide is another terrific piece of traditional music as well as Lady Margret. The true masters that steal the disc are the members of the powerhouse Sacred Harp Church choir members their two pieces, Iduema and I'm Going Home are sure to melt your heart and soothe the soul.

Please don't omit the instrumentals composed by Gabriel Yared which are the final few on the CD, all of them are chilling yet joyous.

As an amatuer to folk music, you may just overlook this review, but i do believe i know exceptional music when i hear it.. so please take purchasing this great CD into consideration.

My (English-professor) mother Anna Elaine Galstad Thompson Case, who recently passed away, was the person who originally turned me onto the novel, and I must say that it affected me more deeply than just about anything I've ever read in my life. One could argue that, together with "Huckleberry Finn" and "Moby Dick", it is truly perhaps one of the great American novels of all time. (The last time I drove home to northwest Arkansas from Washington, DC, I stopped off in southeast Tennessee, and drove over Smoky Mountain National Park to spend a day exploring the area around Cold Mountain in northwestern North Carolina--a trip I highly recommend.) Wish I'd written the novel myself; my great-greatgranddad (C.S.A. cavalry) Capt. Gould B. Thompson underwent an almost identical experience in the summer of 1863, trying to make his way home across no-man's-land to the Ozarks after the fall of Vicksburg--his story had a HAPPY ending. Fans of the novel have likely seen the film by now; although I would've cast it differently and OF COURSE filmed it around Cold Mountain in North Carolina instead of in Romania's Transylvanian Alps, it's nonetheless a very good film. As for the soundtrack, the two songs by Alison Krauss are superb, and I personally find the raw spiritual energy of the two songs by the Liberty Church Sacred Harp Singers (Henegar, Alabama, in AL's northeast hill country) mesmerizing. The unvarnished folksy "honesty" of the "Like a Songbird That Has Fallen" and the piano work by Gabriel Yared are very compelling and worthwhile, and the bread-and-butter remainder of the album by Jack White, Stuart Duncan, Norman & Nancy Blake, and Dirk Powell is very good. If you liked the novel and liked the film, you MUST buy this CD while it's available (soundtracks are usually in the record stores about a couple of months, according to my experience). If you like it a LOT, you should go out and IMMEDIATELY buy the soundtrack to "O Brother, Where Art Thou?", too--if you haven't already.

From Jack White's treatments of old African-American Spirituals to Yared's delicate piano theme for Ada, the soundtrack for "Cold Mountain" is as stirring as the film and brings to mind moments in the film with startling clarity. However, the true highlights on this soundtrack are Alison Krauss's "You Will Be My Ain True Love", which is simply beautiful, and the two Sacred Harp pieces, performed by the Sacred Harp Singers at Liberty Church. The stunning, haunting beauty of the close, full-voiced harmony of the Sacred Harp tradition as performed on this album alone make it worth the purchase price. "Idumea" is the finest track on the album, sending chills up and down my spine even after repeated listening. This is a soundtrack worthy of the film and of the history it represents.

This is an interesting mixed-bag of a soundtrack, ranging from devastatingly good to kinda boring. Overall, it is marred by a certain restraint and tentativeness which is displayed by many of the artists, enough to suggest that it is intentional on the part of the producers.

Devastatingly good is the only way to describe the two songs by the Sacred Harp Singers at Liberty Church, which shake off this general restraint and in fact are so intense they suck you closer and closer to the speakers, to get a better sense of what's going on and pick out more detail among the voices.

Alison Krauss sounds slightly tentative on "The Scarlet Tide," but "You Will Be My Ain True Love" shows her beautiful voice off to better effect, with Sting's harmony vocal lending texture. To be honest, these are far from the strongest songs I've heard her do -- they're a little too sweet and impersonal, lacking the soaring emotion and joy of some of Krauss's songs on (to invoke the inevitable comparison) the "O Brother Where Art Thou" soundtrack.

In fact, the truly revelatory woman's voice on this CD is Cassie Franklin doing "Lady Margret." It's an unaccompanied ballad but Franklin's subtle phrasing and pure, affecting tones render it anything but stark. It leaves you wanting to hear more, not just because the song is beautiful but because the delivery is so redolent of meaning that you can't help but feel that there's more to know.

I'm not a big Jack White fan in general, but here he does a decent, unmannered job with his several songs. His voice isn't big or beautiful, but in his case the general restraint of the CD is helpful, as he seems content to sit back a little and let the songs do their work (less on "Wayfaring Stranger," more on "Never Far Away"). In general he's stronger on the songs where he's back by harmony singers, such as "Christmas Time Will Soon Be Over" and, for me the high point of his songs, "Great High Mountain," which has a gentle, building momentum that leaves me wanting more.

Then there are a number of songs by musicians who have recorded previously but are less famous than Krauss and White. None are as striking as the Sacred Harp Singers or Cassie Franklin, but most are easily as good as Krauss and White's songs -- "I Wish My Baby was Born," sung by Tim Eriksen, Riley Baugus, and Tim O'Brien, is beguiling and effectively wistful; "Like a Songbird that has Fallen" by the Reeltime Travelers is lovely but a bit too laid-back for my taste, leaving me wanting to hear more and wondering what their live show is like. The excessive laid-backness is perhaps most clearly a problem on "Am I Born to Die?" as sung by Tim Eriksen, which sounds mournful and introspective but never breaks free. The version of the same song done by the Sacred Harp Singers at the end of the recording shows the song's potential, and it's too bad Eriksen's version of the song (and other songs throughout the CD) don't show similar intensity and freedom.

The boring, finally, is the four Gabriel Yared tracks. As background music in a movie I'm sure they're excellent. As music to listen to on purpose, they sound a lot like every other Serious Movie score you've heard. I'm not sure why they were included on this soundtrack, which is in every other way so unique and special.

If the soundtrack to "Cold Mountain" is an indication of what's to come in this highly anticipated movie, there is a huge winner in store for everyone. Part mountain music, part piano based, part gospel, the music on this soundtrack flows wonderfully, and can stand by itself as a listening pleasure.
Four key acts contribute to this project, and representing the biggest suprise, Jack White leaves behind his White Stripes mate and shows extreme talent in a more rootsier setting. His two original tracks, "Never Far Away" and "Christmas Time Will Soon Be Over" are gems, and his cover of Howlin' Wolf's "Sittin On Top Of The World" is an outstanding blues performance, and shows that there is a lot more to White than his affection for primary colors and his 3 minute rockers.
Alison Krause's two contributions, which include a new Elvis Costello number, are both gorgeous - after her performance on the "Oh Brother..." soundtrack last year, and this contribution, its clear that this girl's voice was made for the movies. Krause continues to rack up impressive performances on outside projects (don't miss her contribution to this year's Dolly Parton tribute), and has righteously earned the title of top true country singer in America today.
The Sacred Harp Singers, a group of vocalists I had never heard before, will blow away your ears with a style known as "shaped note" singing. Don't miss the spiritual "I'm Going Home", and you will hear vocals like you have never heard before.Also contributing a number of pieces to the soundtrack is the pianist Gabriel Yared - his style of soft, sweeping play is perfectly suited to the overall sound of this project.
This disc is enjoyable from beginnning to end, offering songs that quietly seep into your conciousness and subtly demand your attention. I was amazed by Jack White's contributions, completely surprised by the Sacred Harp Singers, and reminded how much I love Alison Krause's voice

I bought this CD after I'd watched the movie the first three times. The music is wonderful. I bought it specifically for the song they sing in the church scene - "I Don't Care to Stay Here Long" and I want it played at my own funeral way out there in "someday". You can't hear it without smiling and the words are much easier to understand on the CD than in the movie. But just in case, here's the first foot-stompin' verse:

Fare -- well, vain world! I'm going home.
My Savior smiles and bids me come and
I don't care to stay here long. Bright
Angels beckon me away to sing God's praise in endless day and
I don't care to stay here long.
Right up Yonder! Christians, away up Yon-der.
Oh, yes my Lord, for I don't care to stay here long!

just wanted to say a little in defense of T-Bone Burnett. I think he did a wonderful job putting the artists on this soundtrack together and also the music. i have listened to the cd many times and love just about all the music. jack white is a wonderful rock-n-roll singer, but i believe it would have been better to have a few more bluegrass singers in the mix. i do greatly enjoy his work on "Great High Mountain" and only wished he had sang the other songs in this manner. as for the sacred harp singing getting the great reviews, yes, they absolutley need it. i have heard this music before, but not with the enthusiasm that is heard on this cd. krauss sounds wonderful with sting, but would have liked to here the old bluegrass style she used to have. erikson, along with bauguss, powell, o'brien, the blakes, duncan, and compton are all wonderful, particularly, "I Wish My Baby Was Born." as for franklin, who is this young voice singing her heart out?
all in all, very good cd. hope the movie is as good or better.