This collaboration is billed as a new style of American
string band, and the description fits, given three master fiddlers --
Michael Doucet,
Bruce Molsky, and
Darol Anger -- and the superb young cellist
Rushad Eggleston. However, the
string band image conjured up isn't quite exact -- a folksy
string quartet is more apt. Musically, they're all over the place, from the
Cajun swing of
"You Little Wild Thing" (thanks to the influence of
Michael Doucet) through the
jazz of
"East St. Louis Toodle-Oo" and New Orleans
gospel/
blues of
"Just a Closer Walk With Thee/I Know" all the way to the
traditional "Man of Constant Sorrow" -- probably not a good choice given how much the song has become definitively associated with
Ralph Stanley. But these guys don't stand or fall on their vocals; it's the playing that counts. And while they might err a little on the side of politeness rather than wildness (the exception being
"Atchafalaya Pipeline," a
Cajun surf tune), there's no denying how well they play and how naturally they all fall together as instrumentalists; there's a real chemistry among them. They return frequently to the
Cajun motif and it works well, especially on
"Mazurka/Acadian Two-Step," which drives like a V8 with a tune-up and is certainly better than
"African Solstice," which is ambitious but never completely gels. But this is a joy to hear -- some great American musicians playing some great (mostly) American music. ~ Chris Nickson