MARJORIE
KELTING & RONNIE FEINBERGAdirondack Rail
BY KEVIN KERFOOT
On their first duo release, Miller’s Crossing members lead singer and guitarist Marjorie Kelting and vocalist/fiddler/guitarist Ronnie Feinberg are joined by notable bluegrass names such as Michael Cleveland, Josh Williams, Andy Hall, Andy Falco, Pete Kelly, Ernie Sykes and Bill Ayasse. From the first minute of track one, one of 10 originals present here, you know you’re in for some fine mountain-style , original bluegrass. The originals are strong as is Kelting’s voice, which is sweet, pure, steady and powerful. The rest of the disc is balanced out by songs of several tempos. You’ll find ballads such as the bluegrass gospel, Lead Me Lord, as well as the Kelting original Back Home Where You Belong and the fiddle-led Heartbroke, Lonesome and Blue. Mid-tempo numbers include Loose Talk, which allows the banjo and twin fiddles to shine, and Between Fire and Water and Water’s Edge, which both allow fiddler Michael Cleveland to show off his mandolin versatility. The latter number also showcases Feinberg’s harmonies, rhythm guitar and tasteful fiddling. Other favorites highlight Kelting’s beautiful singing. She belts out the uptempo Lonesome, On’ry and Mean, and Weathered Gray Stone is a fine example of the duo’s pleasant harmonies. Other standouts include the Feinberg original Duke, a tense story about a runaway dog; a fine instrumental, Gurdlin’ The Cane; the title cut which documents the last trip of The Adirondack Rail in an uptempo, banjo-driven style; and the thoughtful 1923, which details Kelting’s feelings of having to sell land that her and her parents grew up on. I was anticipating a project with thoughtful originals, nice harmonies, lots of superb picking and singing. I was not let down. BMP