Among the Oak & Ash

Among the Oak & Ash (Verve Forecast)

By Christine Werthman
Published: July 8th, 2009 | 12:05am

Among the Oak & Ash's Josh Joplin and Garrison Starr give new voices to old stories on their debut, self-titled LP. Accompanied by folk-friendly acoustic guitar, light and dusty drums, and little else, the male-female duo revisits classic Americana and folk songs that fit perfectly with their vocal pairing. The album is a comforting, easy listen, but it is an odd choice for a debut to have an entire album of what essentially are cover versions of old-time standards.

Joplin is a New Yorker, but it is Starr’s Nashville personality that shines through the most. Starr is out front on the vocals, and her pure, bright voice puts her in the company of Alison Krauss, or Nickel Creek’s Sara Watkins. Joplin offers a rugged, Harry Chapin–like voice that complements Starr but takes on more of a supporting role, backing her by doubling the vocal melody line or inserting harmonies. Starr’s warm vocal tones are best heard on the slow number, “The Water Is Wide,” where she appears solo.

The album opens with “Hiram Hubbard,” leading in with low, foreboding drums and steely guitar strums. The duo sings “Come all ye friends and neighbors / A story I will tell” and goes on to recount the ill-fated tale of the song’s namesake. The murder ballad has a similar feel to something the Decemberists would record, while the following song, “Peggy-O,” has a more contemporary edge, with electric bass and guitar as well as more prominent drums, which come in to give the song some meat. The song is an example of the group injecting its own personality into the tracks, and it makes you want to hear Among the Oak & Ash’s original material instead of just a handful of reinterpreted Americana standards.

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