The Duhks

Duhks | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 8, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sugarhill
• ASIN: B0007989PC
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,780 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #38 in Music > Country > Bluegrass > Contemporary

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Celtic fiddles, Irish reels, old-time banjo, gospel vocals, and Latin percussion forge a common spirit within the uncommonly vibrant fusion of the Duhks (pronounced "ducks"). The young band from Winnipeg casts a wide net over traditional influences, breathing fresh life into the age-old balladry of "The Wagoner's Lad," generating a dynamic tension between the soulful depth of Jessica Havey's vocals and Tania Elizabeth's fiddle on a pair of spiritual standards ("Death Came a-Knockin'" and "True Religion"), and keeping the dance floor jumping with their sprightly instrumental medleys. Though the Canadian quintet doesn't feature much original material, they extend their interpretive reach to contemporary songs as well, with the desperate edge of Ruth Ungar's "Four Blue Walls" providing a bracing change of mood, while the bittersweet rendition of Paul Brady's "You and I" (with the songwriter on harmony vocals) carries the musical interplay beyond the traditional realm. (Their attempt at fellow Canadian Leonard Cohen's "Everybody Knows" represents a rare misstep, lacking both the droll humor and the dark fatalism of the original.) Banjo iconoclast Béla Fleck coproduced the album, championing the Duhks as fellow trailblazers who use traditional elements to create a sound all their own. --Don McLeese

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vibrant new acoustic music, February 10, 2005

By 

twangmon (Nashville, TN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Duhks (Audio CD)

Hot, young musicians are embracing acoustic music in unprecedented numbers. Mandolinists Andy Leftwich and Chris Thiele, flatpicker Cody Kilby, fingerpicker Kaki King, and banjoist Noam Pikelny are among the brilliant players in their 20s who are pushing the boundaries of the traditional repertoire while paying homage to the greats who preceded them. Hailing from Winnipeg, Canada, the Duhks are the latest members of this acoustic new wave to mix the ancient and the modern in startling and vibrant ways.

The quintet (drummer Scott Senior, banjoist Leonard Podolak, guitarist Jordan McConnell, fiddle player Tania Elizabeth, and lead singer Jessica Havey) weave Appalachian fiddle tunes, Celtic riffs, and French folk music with strands of honky tonk, salsa, reggae, swing, and gospel to create an original, grooving sound. The vocal interplay in the lively "Du Temps Que J'etais Jeune" is delicate and soulful, and the instrumentals "Gene's Machine," "The Dregs of Birch," and "The Magnolia Set" reveal the band's fearsome chops. Havey's voice adds a spunky, sultry magic to the ensemble's inspiring debut.

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Catch Them if You Can, February 8, 2005

By 

Richard Wells (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Duhks (Audio CD)

Hot new bands around the world are going to have a lot of catching up to do to get into the running with the Duhks. This Bela Fleck produced debut cd is loaded, and except for the oddly misplaced Leonard Cohen cover of "Everybody Knows," which may be a tribute to a fellow Canadian, it doesn't let up. The disc starts with an attention-getter that lets you know you'll be listening to a talented group, but it's with the instrumentals that you hear just how talented, and "Monster Talent," would be an apt phrase. The Duhks compress a lot of music and a lot of life between the traditional "Death Came a-Knockin'" and the brand new "Love is the Seventh Wave," and I hope they're just getting started. A highly recommended debut that should transcend any category the record-people try to put them into. Catch the disc, catch them live, then catch 'em if you can.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Music but why "Enhance" it??, August 17, 2005

By 

S. Nelson (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Duhks (Audio CD)

The Duhks are amazing live. I caught them several times, most memorably at a late-night performance at High Sierra Music festival (in CA)and they churned an exhausted audience into a jigging frenzy. They pour energy into their performances, with the interplay between Leonard (Banjo) and the audience being my favorite part to watch- it's a contest to see who can grin larger and dance/play faster.
I was happy to purchase the CD and find a well-produced set of songs. So often a live band puts out a terrible studio album or vice-versa.
My only complaint is that the enhancement of the CD makes it impossible to rip the music to Mp3. I have a legitimate right to put my legally purchased music onto my Mp3 player, and Sugar Hill records has ignored that. The supposed extras on the CD have also not worked on my computer.