What?! Another youthful string band? Yes, and to my ears this one rises above most of its peers. Here’s the short version: Fourteen songs in the old-time Appalachian tradition, sung in two- and three-part harmony by young women who also write some of the songs and play fiddle, banjo and guitar with lots of energy and skill. The women in question are fiddler and songwriter Chloe Edmonstone, guitarist Meredith Watson and Ariel Dixon who plays banjo and guitar; the three of them sing some gorgeous harmonies together; and they’re joined by banjo picker Hilary Hawke (who’s also part of the Brooklyn-based duo Dubl Handi), and by Andy Edmonstone on acoustic bass.
They do bang-up versions of old-time classics like the Carter Family’s “Righten That Wrong” and “Lonesome Song,” golden-age country songs like the Skeeter Davis hit “I’ve Forgotten More Than You’ll Ever Know About Him,” Kitty Wells’s “Whose Shoulder Will You Cry On” and George Jones’s “Just One More.” And some bluegrass-type instrumentals, and some traditional numbers like “Columbus Stockade Blues,” and “Four-Cent Cotton and, plus a re-working of Nick Cave’s smashing version of the old Anglo-Irish ballad “Henry Lee.” On top of that are Chloe’s originals, all of which sound like classic country or old-time songs. They’re all versions of the “you done me wrong” song, and she sings lead on them in her world-weary alto, accompanied by Watson on high harmony. Here’s a performance of one of the three, “How You Must’ve Felt”:
Watson is probably my favorite discovery of the year so far. She’s a superb guitarist and an excellent singer, whether on those high harmonies or singing lead in an alto that I feel comfortable mentioning in the same breath as Sara Carter’s. But this is a great little ensemble, playing acoustic Americana with wit and passion.
(self-released, 2014)
