The Duhks

The Duhks – (Sugar Hill)

The Duhks major label debut arrives as their official entry into that “Nickel Creek” column – attempts to reconcile folk music with an appreciation for music more contemporary, but not by way of “toughening up” a sound but by adding more sheen and gloss to. 

The Duhks, like Nickel Creek, are exceptional musicians for the most part – particularly fiddler Tania Elizabeth who absolutely shines on instrumental workouts like “The Magnolia Set” and “The Dregs Of Birch (which also features some pairing up with Jordan McConnell on the pipes). Elizabeth and banjo player Leonard Podolak also share a terrific vocal on the French-Canadian folk song “Du Temps Que J’etais Jeune”, bringing a lot of passion to the tune.  Uh-oh, there’s a point emerging I think.

And that point is that there’s so much polish on The Duhks (I know I know, “It’s produced by Bela Fleck so whaddya expect?”) that it takes away from the personality associated with such traditional folk songs (The Duhks are largely a cover band that Duhk-ify their music).  This is “new age” to a tee – harmless and non-threatening, sits in the background way too easily, and as a result ends up being way too easy to ignore.  Some of this has to do with primary lead vocalist Jessica Harvey.  Does she have a “good voice”?  You bet.  High highs, low lows, and nails all points in between, but so by-the-book in her interpretation that her performances blend into one another.  She gives the same treatment to “Death Came A Knockin’” that she might to singing that “the mailman came a deliverin’”.  The joke about over-done national anthem singers comes to mind.  And a cover of Sting’s “Love Is The Seventh Wave” is probably never a good idea, by the way.

The Duhks have many of the ingredients to produce something far more memorable than The Duhks. Elizabeth, McConnell, and Podolak are musical powerhouses (I could also do without Scott Senior’s weakness for congas and bongos, by the way) and that bodes well for possibilities in the future.  For now, though, The Duhks just makes me want to reach for my Gourds CDs.

5.2