Amazon.com essential recordingWhereas Bill Monroe alumni Flatt & Scruggs refined and polished the master's lonesome sound, Jimmy Martin, another Blue Grass Boys veteran, made it even rawer, edgier, and more vigorous. Martin's biting, back-of-the-throat lead vocals stand as some of the genre's most remarkable, and his Sunny Mountain Boys gave the music a propulsive rhythmic drive, spearheaded by Martin's own guitar rhythms and dynamic runs. This collection gathers 14 out-and-out classics from Martin's 1956-66 peak Decca period and features the vital contributions of Paul Williams (mandolin, tenor vocals) and young sensation J.D. Crowe (banjo, baritone vocals). --Marc Greilsamer