The second in a projected ten-CD series presenting the over 120, 19th century American folk songs embedded in Laura Ingalls Wilder's popular Little House on the Prairie book series,
Arkansas Traveler: Music from Little House on the Prairie is squarely in the vein of the
O Brother, Where Art Thou soundtrack release, with various contemporary folk, country and bluegrass musicians offering faithful yet subtly updated versions of classic Americana fare. Among the highlights here are
Elizabeth Cook's loose ensemble version of "Old Dan Tucker,"
Bob Carlin's joyous "Dixie's Land,"
Butch Baldassari's striking mandolin and dulcimer-led arrangement of the old fiddle standard "The Devil's Dream," and
Riders in the Sky's version of the title track. The Wilder association aside, this project, when completed, should be a wonderful survey of mid-19th century American folk music as seen through the eyes of 21st century musicians, and for Wilder fans, well, it'll give a real voice to Pa's fiddle. ~ Steve Leggett