The Very Best of Country

I don't have enough perspective on this thing called 'country' to be certain, but this double cd seems like a good primer for the field, and could serve as a jumping-off point for any further explorations. The first disc is focused on more traditional, or at least older, 'country', populated by names which I know, even if I often haven't heard their music before - Hank Williams, Willie Nelson, Townes van Zandt, the Byrds, "Jolene", "Folsom Prison Blues"... And the second picks things up with a more contemporary/'alt-country' edge - Lucinda Williams, Ryan Adams, Whiskeytown, Cowboy Junkies and Calexico all make appearances on that one. Both discs are easy to listen to from beginning to end, with familiar songs scattered throughout their tracklistings, but, as with Faithless Street, I've been struck by how familiar-sounding many of these are, even if I've never heard them before.