Patchworks
Oak Leaf 2114 - 2002
Plenty of common threads run throughout , strands that weave in and out
of this extraordinary tapestry of Americana.
There's the finger-style guitar music of Mississippi John Hurt, Rev.
Gary Davis, Elizabeth Cotton, Doc Watson and John Fahey, imaginatively
arranged, deftly executed and ranging in tone from the spiritual to the
brooding. There's the unmistakable string-woven allure of tunes for the
ages, be it the quaint and four-square Shaker perennial "Simple Gifts"
or the racing and witty "Shady Grove."
Still, nothing is more consistently apparent than the beautifully honed
musicianship displayed by the duo and its guests. Barnes and Hampton are
well known for their inspired handiwork. But because this setting is
more rootsy than rarefied, they demonstrate their always graceful and
seemingly intuitive rapport while playing guitars, Celtic harp, banjo,
mandolin, mountain dulcimer and uilleann pipes in ways that eloquently
summon a wealth of homespun sounds. Small wonder the album appears half
as long as it actually is. -- Mike Joyce, The Washington Post
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