Virginia roots act Furnace Mountain have made their name at folk and bluegrass festivals across the globe but may not yet have played your home town. If you find yourself in this position, hunt down a copy of their latest album, "Fields of Fescue", post-haste. Frenzied bluegrass meets haunting Celtic melodies on an album that really struggles to merit criticism.
While particularly adept at rearranging traditional folk reels and jigs, there's no doubt that the band are more than capable of composing original material, with "Fields of Fescue" standing as a fine introduction to their sound.
It is not until "Winter's Night" that we first hear a woman sing. From there on in, Aimee Curl and Morgan Morrison are at hand with beautiful vocal harmonies, heart worn, genuine, seeming almost effortlessly sweet. The beauty of the delivery on "Bad Girl" is not to be understated while the boundaries of musical intention are completely shattered on "Turbo Dog", a thrilling bluegrass romp that musicians of any musical extraction would be envious of.
Undoubtedly the most poignant track on the album, "Ooh Belle" relaxes the need for instrumental diligence, instead allowing Curl and Morrison to assume the reins with some delightful shared vocals. Appropriately, the album ends on a high with a dazzling rendition of old-time favourite "Sugar in the Gourd".
Indeed, you'll struggle to find such sweet fiddle playing as is delivered by David Van Deventer on this album, while Danny Knicely draws a wonderfully cultured sound from his mandolin. Collectively, Furnace Mountain have created a truly thrilling album in "Fields of Fescue" - an album that gets better with each listen. Unearth this gem.
Available from CD Baby.