Rising Appalachia - Filthy Dirty South (2012)

With their hippie-folk body art and headdresses, sisters Chloe and Leah Smith could be mistaken at first glance for experimental sound artists; instead they celebrate and honor the Appalachian region and its rich musical history. Granted, they mix in hefty doses of soul; the sisters’ voices flow on bluesy tunes like the a cappella “Mississippi Song” like a mudslide, slow and mesmerizing. They also touch on global music; they borrow the Hungarian number “Zavedi Me Lalino” and flirt with Brazilian jazz on “Filthy Dirty South.” And they approach other American music like Dixieland jazz and gospel (“Just a Closer Walk with Thee”). Using everything from congas, guitar, and washboards to trumpets, kalimbas, and fiddles, the sisters and their merry troupe create a feeling of “anything goes,” but they have a refined sense of what belongs and what might belong. It's clear they edit with a fastidious attention to authenticity and purpose. The swampy strings of “Cluck Ol’ Hen,” the cool jazz flavor of “Take Me Downtown," and the woodsy plucking on “Remember What You Told Me” give new flavor to the long traditions of American music.