by Catherine L. Tully

Artist: Steve and Ruth Smith
Album: "Dancin' Cross the Strings"
Year produced: 2007

What do you get when you put together two musicians from the Blue Ridge Mountains with a Scots-Irish background? You get a CD packed with music of Appalachia. Music from this area of the country was brought there by the early settlers, who were--you guessed it--Scots-Irish.

You'll hear a variety of sounds on this instrumental album, including the hammered dulcimer, guitar, flute, fiddle, bodhran and clawhammer banjo. It makes for a very intriguing "stew" of sound. The overall effect is relaxing and dreamlike--carrying the listener along for the ride. Somewhat like a Celtic "New Age" sound, this CD really would be the perfect accompaniment to a hot mug of tea and a relaxing afternoon spent looking out the window at the world going by.

The arrangements here are well done, and although the music is relaxing, it isn't boring or solely background music. The musicianship shows through and begs for the ear and the dulcimer is used in a very gentle way much of the time--blending in and flowing rather than screaming for attention. The effect is quite nice and Ruth's touch is definitely cultivated well. Sit back and relax with this album--get a little lost in the sound and enjoy...

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Catherine L. Tully is a freelance writer and photographer who specializes in the arts. She has written for American Style and Classical Singer, among others and reviews music for Marc Gunn's Celtic MP3s Music Magazine. You can reach her through her photography website at www.moonbeamdigital.com.

Labels: cd_review_2007

Posted by Marc Gunn, Friday, October 26, 2007.
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