I've loved John Hartford's music for years, and was very happy that a tribute had taken place and was preserved for posterity. But I found the disc that resulted disappointing. The breadth and depth of Hartford's music calls for a towering tribute. Unfortunately, this isn't it.
There are some bright spots .... Riders in the Sky doing "Billy the Kid," Gillian Welch's wonderful rendition of "In Tall Buildings," and, of course, the pieces Hartford does with his string band (especially "Watching the River Go By").
But the great parts are weighed down with, for example, John Cowan's overwrought "Dark as a Dungeon" and the Jamie Hartford Band's run-of-the mill country rock -- pleasant, but nothing to write home about.
I'm glad I got this album -- it rounds out my collection, and Hartford's "goodbye" on the last track is priceless. But this one is for fanatics like me only. For a better introduction to his later music, try "Live at College Station, Pennsylvania" or "Good Old Boys."