Album Review: ‘Where The Soul Never Dies: Celebrating 80 Years of The Stanley Brothers’
Over 80 years ago, the Stanley Brothers, Carter and Ralph, forged their memorable high lonesome vocals and distinctive banjo rolls and guitar strums in the hills of southwestern Virginia. Their arrangements of gospel songs, such as Albert Brumley’s “Rank Strangers to Me” and Brumley’s “I’ll Fly Away,” became the signature versions of these songs, and their own compositions, such as “Ridin’ That Mountain Train,” became staples for generations of bluegrass musicians.
On October 18, 2026, the Stanley Brothers were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Now, producers Alison Brown and Garry West have gathered a stellar cast of artists to pay tribute to the Stanley Brothers on the high-spirited, vibrant collection ‘Where the Soul Never Dies: Celebrating 80 Years of the Stanley Brothers.’ (Out today on Compass Records.)
Brown’s propulsive banjo rolls and riffs kick off the album’s opening track, “If I Lose,” a rollicking ramble featuring Billy Strings and Leftover Salmon’s Drew Emmitt trading vocals in call and response fashion on the chorus. Jason Carter’s spry fiddling, Emmett’s silvery mandolin runs, Strings’ blazing fretwork, and Brown’s cascading rolls create richly textured instrumental bridges.
Dolly Parton exclaims, “Are we ready girls?” to launch the jet-fueled romp “Bound to Ride,” featuring dazzling, award-worthy solos by The First Ladies of Bluegrass—Brown, fiddler Becky Buller, mandolinist Sierra Hull, bassist Missy Raines, and guitarist Molly Tuttle. Each artist stretches out, driving the tempo of the song and carrying it into the sonic stratosphere under Parton’s vocals and the group’s harmonies.
Jamey Johnson and Shawn Camp share vocals on their take on “Rank Strangers to Me,” capturing the emotional resonance of the Stanley Brothers’ high lonesome sound, with Tristan Scroggins’ aching mandolin and Matt Combs’ mournful fiddling lying under the powerful vocals.
Jim Lauderdale and the Travelin’ McCourys keep the throttle full open on their propulsive “Ridin’ on That Midnight Train,” while Rhiannon Giddens and Dirk Powell deliver a lilting take on the moving ballad “Little Birdie.”
Dierks Bentley and Della Mae join forces on galloping version of “How Mountain Girls Can Love,” while the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band join Brown and West for a soaring take on “Think of What You’ve Done,” featuring Jimmie Fadden on wailing harmonica on the instrumental bridge. Matt Rollings’ gospel piano rolls launch Willie Nelson’s and Sierra Hull’s jaunty tent revival version of “I’ll Fly Away,” as Rob Ickes’ resophonic guitar runs, Trey Hensley’s lead riffs, Stuart Duncan’s spry fiddling, and Brown’s rolling banjo take us to church. The album closes with the ethereal harmonies of I’m With Her and Brown on guitar on the gorgeous “Going Up Home to Live in Green Pastures.”
Every song on ‘Where the Soul Never Dies: Celebrating 80 Years of the Stanley Brothers’ celebrates the enduring and foundational contributions of the Carter and Ralph Stanley to bluegrass and roots music. We can feel how deeply embedded this music is in these artists, for their spirited renditions convey the ways these songs have touched them in their hearts and souls.
