Darcie Deaville
Plays The Fiddle And Sings
Taller Dog (2003)
www.darciedeaville.com

Originally from Toronto, Texas fiddler Darcie Deaville plays the fiddle and sings, just like it says on the cover of the CD. She can play mandoline and guitar, too, and in fact does so on "Plays the Fiddle and Sings." At other times she's backed up on the latter and on percussion by Marvin Dykhuis. Darcie also writes songs, but this album is all traditional music, a good deal for old-time listeners!

It's difficult to say who is the star here, the fiddle or the vocals. I'd say the fiddle! Darcie is a pro; she seems to have an automatic nimble, breathing connection all the way from her brain through her arm into the fiddle bow. Her throaty vocals remind me of Toronto's Penny Lang...must be the Northern Power Grid. Darcie's rough voice gives the songs not only words, but also strength and credibility; it contrasts and mingles with the fluidly abrupt and often equally stark fiddle line.

My pick for best track is the upbeat "Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down." Darcie adds Mardi Gras percussion, which no doubt makes it stand out in a cane field of simpler songs. These religious songs have a special dark beauty transcends the sticky heat of southern poverty. The adjacent "Hoodoo Blues" features a nice, slithery fiddle-blues guitar duet. "Wildwood Flower" is perhaps the prettiest and you can hear Darcie play guitar multitracked with smooth fiddle double-stops. Another sweet song is the patient "Wayfaring Stranger"; here she adds a mandoline that sometimes sounds like little bells. Those preferring more brutal fiddle will like the emphatic string crossings on "Drunken Hiccups" (="Jack Of Diamonds). There are a few instrumentals, including the pleasant "Midnight On the Water" and "Beautiful Lake Dore Waltz" from Canada, reminiscent of a contra dance at the grange. The song that doesn't seem to work is "Little Birdie;" that one two THREE Asian drum line seems distractively obtrusive.

Though Darcie's style clings to traditional North American fiddling, she integrates several influences, sometimes subtly, sometimes not. These include blues and cajun...maybe what you could call Texan...but you never do get the feeling she is tossing them in with artifice. They just seem to be part of her style. PTFAS is a fun album especially recommended for fiddle enthusiasts.

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