O brother where art thou

but i don't think it will improve the sales of the smithsonian catalog.

Equiv. phenom. in UK (non-'roots') = Eva Cassidy?
Before her, Vanessa Mae?

There is another music board I used to post to more regularly, a much less lively place than this one, dominated largely by requests for IDs of songs heard on tv. Anyway, some of the people there, who already have some interest in this type of music, semed to be excited about the sound-track, and hoped it would trigger some sort of a new trend toward old time music, but I have my doubts.

I really wouldn't mind getting into more American roots, traditional stuff, and No Depression type stuff, but so far a lot of it doesn't do much for me.

I'm still sort of bemused at the idea of any random revival being interpreted by its practitioners that the public will stop listening to that 'modern trash' and discover 'good music.' Not saying that's what the folks on the board were posting, but I've come across that often enough. Very much wishful thinking...

Actually, that was close to the attitude of at least some of the people posting. I think there is some sort of American roots trendlet going on, but I can't see it getting huge.

So Mrs. McBB really loves this soundtrack and I'd like to play her something a bit more authentic. Any recommendations for compilations of original material in the vein of this soundtrack?

There's definitely a variety of material on the soundtrack, but these could be good places to start.

Classic Mountain Songs from Smithsonian Folkways
Stoneman Family: Old Time Tunes of the South

Additionally, one of my favorite out of print Stoneman albums (albeit a later, major-label one and so maybe slightly less authentic?) can be found pretty easily by googling for Pop Stoneman Memorial Album. I think it probably still fits the bill.

A good Stanley Brothers comp would be one place. On the other hand if what she likes is the sound of that soundtrack, with its modern production and all, then the Alison Krauss comp Now That I've Found You might be more suited.

Worth a read:

http://www.indyweek.com/indyweek/fifteen-years-later-bluegrass-is-still-reeling-from-o-brother-where-art-thou/Content?oid=5070656

I do love this:

But even though the soundtrack focuses on traditional tunes, the Coens and company were surprised to find that some songs they had thought were in the public domain—and thus, free to use in the film—were not, in fact, traditional. They'd been mining discs of music that had often been incorrectly deemed traditional. Wilbur knew that sloppy attributions wouldn't fly.

"I remember my first conversation with Ethan when he showed me the CD, and he said, 'Look, it says right here, 'Traditional,'" Wilbur says. "I said, 'So what?'"