3. The Louvin Brothers | Tragic Songs of Life (1956)

---

Wikipedia Entry

---

Tracks

1. Kentucky
2. I'll Be All Smiles Tonight
3. Let Her Go, God Bless Her
4. What Is Home Without Love
5. A Tiny Broken Heart
6. In the Pines
7. Alabama
8. Katie Dear
9. My Brother's Will
10. Knoxville Girl
11. Take the News to Mother
12. Mary of the Wild Moor

---

Tragic Songs of Life is an apt title for this dark album. Most songs feature a character suffering one sort of tragedy or another; often of their own making, but sometimes not. As murder ballad go, Knoxville Girl is quite brutal.

Despite the dark themes, this is an enjoyable album to listen to. The Louvin Brothers sing close harmony and sound really good, even with the Southern twang. The music is simple enough, just a guitar and mandolin, to focus attention on the singing, but unfortunately the songs all sound the same and continue to even after listening to the album several times.

Stand out tracks are Kentucky, Katie Dear, Knoxville Girl, Take the News to Mother and Mary of the Wild Moor.

★★★★★★★☆☆☆