legend has it that david crosby (fresh off of getting fired from the byrds) and stephen stills (reeling from buffalo springfield falling apart) were working on a song over at joni mitchell’s house. graham nash was in town for a hollies tour, and stopped by the party. when he joined in on the second chorus, adding a high harmony on top of their voices, the room went silent. the chemistry of the trio seemed like manna from heaven. and the rest is history.
i can imagine that a similar thing may have happened when these three chanteuses happened to join in on a song somewhere. each of them are established artists on their own, but their genres are similar enough that there have been plenty of chances to cross each others paths either in the studios or on the road. this was essentially a side project a year or two ago, and i only recently saw the video of them doing the great john hiatt’s ‘crossing muddy waters’. if you are not familiar with sara watkins, sarah jarosz, or aoife o’donovan, then this is a good introduction to their work. their vocal blendings are just divine.
each of them has also released solo material in the last year. my favorite of the three is sarah jarosz, but they are all worth a venture. sarah’s is a solid offering of a hybrid of bluegrass and slow blues. sara watkins’ release is more eclectic, with a few more edgy pieces and occasional darker lyrics – i get the impression she is going through some tough times. o’donovan’s record has more of a contemporary feel, with some celtic shadings.
redeyegin 