Celebrating the 25th anniversary of Rounder Records, this bargain-priced double CD emphasizes folk music but encompasses a wide range of styles, including close-harmony duet (
Whitstein Brothers), flatpicking (
Norman Blake), Cajun (
Le Trio Cadien), Piedmont blues (
Etta Baker), gospel (
E.C. & Orna Ball), old-time country (
Mike Seeger), cowboy music (
Skip Gorman), and traditional Hawaiian music (
Tau Moe Family); furthermore, it includes several artists who also appear on Hand-Picked: 25 Years of Bluegrass on Rounder Records (e.g.,
Country Cooking,
Hazel Dickens,
Alison Krauss,
Tony Rice,
Bela Fleck) or
Deep Blue: The Rounder 25th Anniversary Blues Anthology (
Rory Block). The 40 tracks on
Hills of Home include performances by legendary artists such as
Woody Guthrie,
Leadbelly, and
the Louvin Brothers; noteworthy contemporary musicians such as
Bill Morrissey; and a selection from the classic
Have Moicy! album by
Michael Hurley & the Unholy Modal Rounders. In other words, there is so much good music on this album that it's worth hearing even if you dislike a few of the artists or already own a few of the selections. ~ Todd Kristel, All Music Guide