Doug Wallin
and his brother
Jack
were born into North Carolina's Madison County, a region well-known for its long legacy of music-making; several of the brothers' older relatives had sung for British folklorist
Cecil Sharp
between 1910-1920, and other family members as well as neighbors have been recorded often since the 1960s. In
Family Songs and Stories From the North Carolina Mountains
,
Doug
takes center stage, relaying the local and family traditions of love
ballads
hymns
, and fiddle music; brother
appears on only three of the tracks, but offers strong performances on banjo, guitar, and vocals. While the idea of 14
a cappella
may seem much for most listeners, the performances are so nicely delivered that the disc could in fact stand to have a few more songs from either of the brothers.
's singing of ancient British and early American
is peerless in modern times, his singing remarkably even and elegant;
's instrumental talents are also fine, and his own lively songs provide a nice break from the
ballad
singing. Also breaking up any potential monotony are a small handful of short, entertaining stories from
, who seems as natural a storyteller as a singer. The 19 total tracks gathered here are culled from just over 60
field recordings
made in 1992 and 1993; hopefully, more of those songs and stories will be available in the future. Meanwhile, this sampling of
the Wallins
' repertoires should be embraced by lovers of
traditional
music. ~ Burgin Mathews