There's been a revival of interest in swing music lately and with acts like Jump Me Martha on the scene it's no wonder that the big sound is packing dance floors once again. JMM are a tight, rhythmic quintet full of secret weapons; pianist Tom Dahl is at his best when he tunes into a boogie-woogie groove on tunes like "Person of Interest" and woodwinds man Garnet Speer is the group's resident sax maniac inserting urgent honks that take the temperature up a few notches. The real dynamo here though is front woman Suzanne Paschall, clearly one of the finest voices working in the genre today. Whether she's singing the slow, bluesy "Cuppa Joe" or offering a slinky come-on at the "Hotel Josephine" Paschall sounds as if she's stepped right out of the era. "Storyville Strut" is an album highlight where the band cruises down a sketchy back alley while Paschall sings like she's arm-in-arm with Cab Calloway. Authentic but not dated, Go Fat Daddy is a perfect example of why this kind of music was at one time top of the pops.

Crooked Still
Some Strange Country
Signature Sounds

This nu-folk, alt-bluegrass band has a female front person in the form of singer Aoife O'Donovan so they're naturally going to draw comparisons to acts like Nickel Creek or family outfit Cherryholmes. Those are valid comparisons but O'Donovan has a voice and a way of phrasing that more recalls the work of Alison Krauss and this album coincidentally was produced by Gary Paczosa who has previously worked with Krauss. With her penchant for gentle understatement, O'Donovan shines here with a girl-next-door charm while the rest of Crooked Still keeps the big cotillion moving with fluid banjo and fiddle riffs and a bass-and-cello bottom. These guys and gals didn't just fall off the hay bale and nu-grass fans who haven't heard their music yet will be pleasantly surprised by Some Strange Country.