This banjo and bouzouki picking roots duo from Seattle evoke a parallel universe far removed from the pampered lives of our technological age.
Through farming thickets, rocky mountains and green pastures these songs celebrate the harsh yet simple pleasures of working the land. The general resistance to modernity is clear in Livin' In America: "I wouldn't trade my Clipper trot for a motor car".
The lyrical richness of Morrison's song writing is one of the albums major strengths. On Down In The Lonesome Dew, for instance, we hear how "the moon's all snared in moonlight's jaws". Alongside such poetic imagery the song still manages to place human interests centre stage :"It's a short time here and a long time gone, the workmen sing the people's song".
Another standout track is Off The Chama which tells of literally working hard to win the affections of a girl with "long flowing locks".
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Such poignancy contrasts with more a more light hearted song about a mule (James Is OutAnxious Rows.
The affection for Bluegrass tradition is evident from the choice of cover song - Alice Gerrard's Voices Of Evening and Louvin Brothers' Lorene.
Recorded in the Colorado Rockies and crisply produced by Tim O'Brien, the album is traditional in spirit but never feels bound by convention. It successfully combines a nostalgia for old-time values with a recognition of the timeless concerns of this "cruel world".
Morrison and West's website
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