The TurtleDuhks - True Lover (2007)

People who attend the various folk and bluegrass festivals have known for a long time that some of the best and most intimate music at such events doesn't necessarily take place in front of the microphones on the main stages but comes instead in impromptu throw down jams held far from the bright lights. The TurtleDuhks were born out of such casual picking sessions, and fiddler Lydia Garrison of the Trumansberg, NY-based Turtle Island Dreams, and banjoist Leonard Podolak and guitarist Jordan McConnell, both of the Winnipeg-based Duhks, have finally stepped forward as a full-blown side project with the release of True Lover, their debut album. Specializing in old-timey and neo-traditional folk material with just a touch of Celtic influence, the trio has an easy, unhurried feel that is as calmly joyful as it is comforting. It's interesting to note that the strongest tracks are actually originals, including a pair of Garrison compositions, the fine title tune, "True Lover," and the concluding track, "Waterfall (Foss' Tune)," both of which feature Garrison playing clawhammer banjo. "Cooterbone Shuffle/The Mayor of Tendor," which joins a Garrison song to one by Podolak, is another clear delight, as is McConnell's personalized reading of the traditional "Moonshiner." Easy and natural, just like the festival sessions it grew out of, True Lover spotlights three musicians playing for the sheer joy of it, making this set impossible not to treasure.