Some Part of Something

American-born, Scotland-based harpist Cheyenne Brown, dobro player and guitarist Dave Currie and master percussionist Dave Boyd first got together as a trio in 2009. Four years later comes their debut album, and it’s a real pleasure. The trio combine Irish, Scottish, Appalachian and bluegrass music and there’s a distinct feel that rises over and above the large continental drifts of their influences and roots.

Each player takes a turn to step up to the lead spot, with Currie’s dobro on Bill Monroe’s ‘Lonesome Moonlight Waltz’, and Brown’s harp on ‘The Cuckoo’ being particularly notable. Curry takes the lead vocal on ‘Wayfaring Stranger’, a fairly gentle version of the sacred harp gospel song, and does a pretty good Johnny Cash – that flat, lean, wide delivery – on an excellent version of Dirk Powell’s ‘Waterbound’. Add to that a shot of Ralph Stanley and some Scottish reels and you’ve got a particularly tasty transatlantic crossover.