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)


Transports you back to Cold Mountain...   February 24, 2004
Emily Todd (USA)
36 out of 41 found this review helpful

"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


Powerfully evocative soundtrack   August 31, 2004
Furiae (USA)
16 out of 17 found this review helpful

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.


A soul-warming experience........   January 2, 2004
Zac (Chicago)
12 out of 12 found this review helpful

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.


If you're a "Cold Mountain" junkie--gotta have it.   February 12, 2004
Philip A. Thompson (Vienna, VA United States)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful

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.