The Mountain (1999)

Collaborating with rocker Steve Earle on a cycle of coal-mining ballads and murder tales, the Del McCoury Band showed how a family unit can supercharge traditional bluegrass. Ronnie McCoury's slashing mandolin chops and Rob McCoury's driving banjo create a relentless rhythmic engine behind Del's peerless high-lonesome tenor. Jason Carter's mournful fiddle provides evocative melodic counterpoints to Earle's grit. The album captures the unyielding, propulsive drive that defines classic five-piece acoustic music at its most thrilling.