Andy & Judy Daigle have just released their new folksy album This Road. Loaded with perky acoustic instruments as well as the duos low key vocals, The Road manages to ring with authentic folksy tones. Numerous acoustic notes fill the space between their voices, adding another layer of grit to each of their stories and theme.
Opening cut “I Want To Sing” functions as a folk rendition of a gospel philosophy. With it’s hallelujah chorus, persistent banjo notes, and a stubborn ruggedness in their verses, the duo whip up a spirited feel good number.
Title track “The Road” offers Judy’s earnest emotive delivery on lead vocals as well as a hearty weave of acoustic guitars and mandolin. making it possible to feel her enthusiasm for the passageway back to her love. The road she sings of has as many twists and turns as a good relationship. The metaphor for a steady ride with a partner, like any good craftwork, develops perfectly in sync with the voices and instruments.
“Walking To Our Freedom” finds Andy Daigle playing an old fashioned banjo line, one that reminds of film scores for Civil War period pieces. That spare early American melody makes a perfect soundtrack for this song about leaving behind the shackles of slavery.
Judy Daigle’s song “Stop And Count Your Blessings” is a gentle push to get people look at what they do have even though they do not have everything. Her sincerely delivery makes one believe in the effectiveness of taking stock of small, not easily seen positive moments, moments that make all realize that they have more reasons to be joyful than morose. A warm bass line from John Zaia truly enhances the courageous vocal conviction and the flinty banjo notes that dot the landscape of this lovely lyrical vision.
Rolling in like a tumble weed of banjo, guitar, bass, and harmonica. “Cambridge Town” ambles through its considerate paces like a warm personality extending to shake your hand. One can feel the nostalgic that this tune inspires as the folksy couple Judy and Andy pay out their own special arrangement of Vic Witherspoon’s timeless ode to an old music city.
“Sing Me To Sleep” continues the warm, homespun qualities of this album. Plenty of note from harmonica, mandolin, and washboard conjure a front porch gathering of friendly musicians who are under no pressure to perform in a lazy summer afternoon yet is actually a well delivered piece. Andy’s harmonica is so personal in emotion it’s almost as if it is singing to the listener. Judy’s heartfelt vocal shifts, to coos and back to standard vocals, injects more sincerity to this very honest piece of songwriting.
Andy‘s vocal is sandpapery handsome on “Kenmore Through And Through,” an ode to New England’s favorite sporting stadium. With a sparse feeling around their voices, the duo recall their memory of meeting at a game. Details kindle nostalgia for the listener, and the conviction of their fandom sounds beautifully innocent over rippling acoustic instruments.
Judy offers a touching refection on “Grandpa,” a song that evokes not only a relationship with a special elder but also discovering how his gift of music transformed her into the musician she is today. With a dry edge to her timbre here, Judy reflects true emotion without even trying to it. It’s just there. The duo’s guitar, banjo, mandolin with John Zaia’s bass compress single notes into confection that rolls politely under her voice.
Judy Daigle‘s “Every Day Things” ambles in like a cowboy film score with its amicable harmonica line. She places her voice and Andy’s in heaping spoonfuls. That plentitude of voice, spread over the lyrics and folksy accompaniment conjure plenty of warmth. Judy not only shares her love and appreciation of her man, she puts in universal that any pair could relate to.
A reflection on small town life, “They Locked The Grange Hall Doors Today” brings to mind what a small town was like for an earlier generation. Judy’s lilting vocal proceeds at a considerate pace, capturing the essence of ease at a rustic life.
“Are You Ready” is a call to action. Judy sings of a mighty nation’s ability to meet the needs of the downtrodden. Her sustains put an emotive force behind her call and a low key accompaniment let her message ring out like a bell on a silent Sunday morning.
Andy and Judy close out with “Goodnight,” a thank you to those beacons in the sky which guides us day and night, keeping us warm, maintaining our evenings. Her earnest, even delivery matches the presence of sun, moon, and stars that stand out for all they do in the silence of their existence. Again, Andy’s simple line of rustic banjo notes complete this tune.
Andy & Judy offer up a lot of sincerity and a lot of talent on this new album, The Road. One can appreciate their thoughtfulness as well as their heartfelt vocals, gritty instrumentation, and a steady pluck that runs like a solid under current to ever lyric and note sung and played.
