The Foghorn Stringband: Devil in the Seat | Album Review

This American foursome cocks some mighty keen ears in the direction of American old-time music, and this latest collection sees them in the finest of form, with their songbooks, harmonies and fiddle lines criss-crossing state lines with capricious abandon.

Intriguingly, all are northwest coasters, (now resident in Oregon and the Yukon), and draw their influences as much from Acadian and Canadian bluegrass sources as they do from the deeper south.

Caleb Klauder’s old-time fiddle lines are crisp as a starched shirt, and Sammy Lind’s banjo leverages the rhythmic potential of their set list with a subtlety that binds the instruments beautifully.

Vocalists, Reeb Willms and Nadine Landry (also on guitar and upright bass) bring a naked freshness to What Will We Do, a song borrowed from Dervish's Cathy Jordan, and much more besides.

Wide-angle, blue sky, foot-stomping music, bereft of artifice.

[ foghornstringband.com ]