Emma Beaton (Canadian Folk's Young Performer of the Year 2008) is multitalented, with a gorgeous clear voice and on instruments bowed (cello) and plucked (banjo); her recorded music to date is inventive and diverse, grounded in celtic and americana traditions but ultimately all her own. She is lead singer with the talented indie-pop group, Joy Kills Sorrow and is blossoming as a songwriter. Nic Gariess, world renowned traditional percussive dancer, has kept his massive talents on vocals and bouzouki, previously hidden. This album showcases these two extremely talented people. "In fact, the best moment of the festival, for me, was Emma's banjo duet with Nic Gareiss covering Kate Rusby's All God's Angels, with newcomer Nic (Gareiss) on the Tim O'Brien part and what was possibly an oud (bouzouki). Though it was the first time the two had performed together, the sound was delicate and broken and perfectly sweet, much of a type with recent work from Sam Amidon and others of that neo-revivalist ilk, and I fell in love at once. Beaton has recently joined modern american stringband Joy Kills Sorrow, but if I ever had the time and guts to start producing musicians on my own, I'd start with Emma and Nic as a duo; here's hoping that their performance this month was just the first in a long and fruitful partnership.
