This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
First it was part of the title of a Carter Family classic. Then the handle of Uncle Tupelo’s first album.
Now, No Depression is the name of a bimonthly alt-country mag. And What it Sounds Like is the subtitle of their first companion compilation CD. And a fine little debut it is, with a 13-song slate that encompasses a wide range of talents, sounds and styles — the honky tonk of Doug Sahm’s Cowboy Peyton Place, the stark balladry of Buddy Miller’s Does My Ring Burn Your Finger?, the torch ’n’ twang of Neko Case’s Thrice All American, the metallic grind of Johnny Cash’s cover of Willie Nelson’s Time Of The Preacher, the haunting sadness of Alison Moorer’s mournful tribute to her slain mother Is Heaven Good Enough For You?, and the shambling grace of Whiskeytown’s Faithless Street. And just to keep the circle unbroken, there’s The Carter Family’s No Depression in Heaven. From stem to stern, here’s a compilation that truly lives up to its name.
