Here we find twelve old-time fiddle tunes (plus one hidden track) by Canada's Erynn Marshall and played with gusto by her and nine guest musicians including husband and long-time musical partner Carl Jones on acoustic guitar. They are listed as being original tunes although she concedes that "the settings are very traditional".
The liner notes detail the people and places each song was inspired by and/or written for. For example, the title tune "was commissioned by Richard Whisnant for another special place - his old family cabin along Greasy Creek near Indian Valley, Virginia" while Decatur Stomp was written for Marshall's 12-year-old fiddle student from Decatur, Alabama.
The album is a beautifully packaged labour of love by artists who must surely be aware that the market for this brand of traditional music is extremely limited.
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Like the windfall apple she found on the day she came up with the tune she named Windfall, the element of chance and sweetness mingles with a recognition that even when a tune is new, Marshall's muse is defined by a style of playing that goes back many generations.
As she sagely observes "the old tunes were all new once", and this record is intended to ensure that the dust doesn't have time to settle on them.
Dittyville Records' website
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