Various artists
This compilation from the rich archives of Sugar Hill has nothing new for longtime bluegrass players and fans, but for recent devotees, it’s perfect. You get 18 cuts from the best vocalists (Ricky Skaggs, Don Rigsby, Dan Tyminski, Tim O’Brien, Doyle Lawson, Kathy Kallick), prime fiddlers (Stuart and Glen Duncan, Richard Greene) and outstanding dobro players (Jerry Douglas, Mike Auldridge). It has the feel of a large house band doing material drawn from deep in the tradition, as well as second- and third-generation songs. Standout vocal performances include Tim and Mollie O’Brien harmonizing on Bill Monroe’s “Sitting Tonight in the Moonlight” and Ricky Skaggs and Tony Rice duetting on the mountain ballad “Bury Me Beneath the Willow.” With stuff from Seldom Scene, Hot Rize, the Osborne Brothers and the Lonesome River Band, think of this as a well-designed survey of bluegrass in the last 25 years.