Hop High, Crooked Still's 2004 debut on Signature Sounds, announced one of the more genuinely original approaches to emerge from the post-collegiate folk and acoustic music scene in New England. The Boston-based ensemble, centered on Aoife O'Donovan's vocals and an instrumentation that replaced fiddle with cello, brought a chamber music awareness to traditional old-time and folk repertoire. Their treatment of 'Shady Grove' honors its haunting quality while allowing cello and banjo to create textures unlike any previous recorded version. Crooked Still's debut helped chart a course for a generation of acoustic musicians wanting to engage seriously with the tradition without being constrained by its surface conventions.
Tracklist
- 1 Darling Corey 3:42
- 2 Angeline The Baker 4:13
- 3 Last Fair Deal Gone Down 4:29
- 4 Orphan Girl 2:41
- 5 Lonesome Road 3:18
- 6 Old Virginia 4:04
- 7 Flora 4:05
- 8 Look On And Cry 3:40
- 9 Lulu Gal 2:42
- 10 Rank Stranger 4:30
- 11 Shady Grove 3:47