Rating:
Genre:
Country
Release Date: 07/11/2006
ASV, the musical (and marital) partnership of
Scott Vestal and
Alice Newman (here credited as
Alice N. Vestal) combines a talented banjo player with a long list of band affiliations and recording sessions and an effective
country singer, the protégée of
Tracy Nelson, who is also a noted songwriter.
Vestal's abilities as a picker dominate the musical tracks, providing
country and
bluegrass beds for
Newman's singing, which doesn't so much suggest
Nelson as it does
Maria Muldaur or
Emmylou Harris.
The Vestals' own compositions, along with the covers they bring in, are full of happy romantic sentiments imbued with nature imagery that also evokes God frequently. The only somewhat reflective commentary is found in the album-closing
"Beauty Will Save the World," in which
Newman worries that "we" will become extinct before settling on the conclusion found in the title. Although the overall style is acoustic
country, the duo also evokes an earlier partnering of string player and singer that had roots in
pop and
swing,
Les Paul & Mary Ford.
~William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
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