Scheherazade (LP)

Anchored around the fragile and compelling harmonies of Janet Bean and Catherine Irwin and the subdued, oracular bass playing of Dave Gay, the utterly unique sound is distilled from many sources. There's the elemental ache and loss in the soil and limestone of Kentucky, the songs and struggles that passed over and over the Atlantic from the British Isles centuries ago. There's the energy and freedom in the ratty punk clubs of Louisville and Chicago at a time when rules and formalities were, meant to be ignored. At once bluegrass, blues, folk, and
country, it is also none of them. Freakwater is not dealing in historical artifacts. Rather, it is a product of two voices intertwined with one another for over three decades. This sound might be best summarized as Appalachian soul.