Mountain Shout

When it comes to making an album like this--stepping away from original songs to delve into trad folk--the magic comes in song selection and arrangement. The field is wide open, which means one might be paralyzed by choice, but this duo does an excellent job at choosing a dozen songs that, through instrument choice and passionate delivery, evoke that old-time Appalachia feel. I've heard almost all these songs done by other folk artists over the years, but here they still sound fresh. Again, it's all about interpretation. One thing they do nicely is how they, on four occasions, meld songs together in tempo and tone.