Ry Cooder has been a great many things since he released his first album in 1970. He's been one of the most well-grounded exponents of what's since been called American roots music and one of the early explorers of what's been dubbed world music. Above all, he's a masterful guitarist who never lets skill stand in the way of emotional connection.
The two-disc Anthology surveys 38 years of Cooder plus one previously unreleased track. It displays the great range he has encompassed within a recognizable style, including moody blues, scrappy funk, uplifting gospel and entirely organic fusions of various strains of earthy music. The entire Ry Cooder collection would fill a long shelf; The UFO Has Landed is a handy way to get the gist of his enormous body of music.
