antiMusic.com: Banjo Nickaru & Western Scooches

Banjo Nickaru & Western Scooches - Get Us Out Of Fearland

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While a handful of musicians and singers help out here, Banjo Nickaru & Western Scooches is essentially a duo comprised of guitarist and banjo player Nick Russo and singer Betina Hershey, who also wrote all but one of the songs on Get Us out of Fearland. The pair work nicely together on opening cut "Soar," an upbeat banjo-driven cut where Hershey's vocals quite appropriately float to the heavens; Russo switches to resonator guitar and Hershey to near-lullaby mode for the understated "I Wish the World Knew Why." "Get Us out of Fearland" sounds like something you'd hear wafting out of a New Orleans bar while "I Don't Need No Glasses" is straight out of vaudeville. "Don't You Follow Me" is an album highlight; old time-y pickings and hints of world music pair with Hershey's words about avoiding a negative partner and it all makes for an eerily striking presentation. This is the group's second album and it'll have new fans seeking out the first.

Banjo Nickaru & Western Scooches - Get Us Out Of Fearland

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