Cold Mountain [Original Soundtrack]

To evoke the sounds of the American South during the Civil War, COLD MOUNTAIN director Anthony Minghella enlisted O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU producer T-Bone Burnett. Although the two soundtracks are both rooted in traditional folk and bluegrass, COLD MOUNTAIN distinguishes itself by featuring White Stripes frontman Jack White--who also appears in the film--on five tracks. White's contributions are spare tunes accompanied by mandolin and fiddle that highlight the singer's emotive voice. In addition to performing traditional tunes such as "Wayfaring Stranger" and "Great High Mountain," White also contributes the gorgeous original composition, "Never Far Away," intimately capturing the movie's central themes of love and separation.
The strength of this soundtrack is that its songs are so closely tied to the events of the story, making the music essential to the film. Other strong selections include two beautiful songs by bluegrass artist Alison Krauss ("The Scarlet Tide," penned by Burnett and Elvis Costello, and the Sting-written "You Will Be My Ain True Love"), and three tunes led by the powerful voice of folk singer Tim Eriksen. Gabriel Yared's piano-based score graces the last quarter of the COLD MOUNTAIN album, tying all of the musical elements of the epic film together.