MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: MANDOLIN ORANGE - THIS SIDE OF JORDAN

A fine addition to the Americana family.  This North Carolina duo will get the usual comparisons to Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings, but they are a little more sweeter and simpler, and they share the vocals more.  Andrew Marlin even takes a few more leads than Emily Frantz, although the harmonies are all through.  If you want a comparison, I'd peg him more of a Guy Clark type, laid-back and lived-in with a campfire delivery.  Frantz is sweet on the harmonies, but more rural-sounding on the leads, all the g's cut off the end of words, leadin', singin', etc.

It would be pretty hard to put a date on the music, somewhere between 1850 and yesterday, but the words are current, no old-timey wannabes.  There's beauty infused in each song, in a lovely melody or harmony, a sweet mandolin, chilling and soaring violin, or ringing piano.  That's a real key here, to my ears, how pleasing the music is, and how well it offsets the rustic vocals.  Plus, the duo and band manage to make the songs swing at times, no easy feat with dusty-road ballads.  The roots world is getting pretty crowded these days, but when you can sing this well together, and make your songs sound so rich, you deserve a prime spot at the table.