Migrations [Audio CD] The Duhks

With each release, this Canadian quintet's adventurous, energetic eclecticism sounds more like a signature fusion (and less like bluegrass, despite Tania Elizabeth's fiddle and Leonard Podolak's banjo). The material on Migrations ranges all over the map--geographical as well as musical--with a pair of spirituals steeped in the tradition of Georgia's Sea Islands ("Moses, Don't Get Lost" and "Turtle Dove"), a zydeco romp through Cajun country ("Down to the River"), a ballad in tribute to an Irish patriot ("Who Will Take My Place?"), a syncopated revival of Tracy Chapman's "Mountains o' Things" and the ragtime blues of "Ol' Cook Pot." While a pair of instrumental medleys highlight the musicians' acoustic virtuosity, the soulful vocals of Jessee Havey and their ability to fashion songs from a variety of sources into such a cohesive whole distinguish the Duhks from folk acts, jam bands, or any other musical category. --Don McLeese

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