Dogwood Road is an Ohio-based duo consisting of Tyler Moore on fiddle, mandolin and lead vocals, and Karl Wohlwend on guitar and backing vocals. Their self-titled debut album is a nice selection of traditional songs and tunes mixed with a couple of originals by the two band members, plus a cover of Ewan MacColl's "Dirty Old Town."

The musicians were previously members of the bands Homeland, Knot Fibb'n and Two2Many, the latter of which Dogwood Road spun off from as a separate two-man project. I previously reviewed Knot Fibb'n's 2000 recording Knot Loitering, which I remember enjoying; my major complaint was the vocals, and fortunately the singer of that band is not a member of Dogwood Road.

Moore, I am happy to report, has a much more suitable voice for this folksy-trad style of music. He also is a fair hand with a fiddle, while Wohlwend provides a solid foundation on guitar.

Dogwood Road includes 15 tracks, some songs and some instrumental sets. A few tracks feel a little rushed, like maybe they needed one more take to get the right amount of polish on the music, but overall the album has a nice live-duo feel and should not send listeners away disappointed.

I suspect I would quite enjoy sitting down with a pint in a pub where Dogwood Road is jamming in the corner.

[ visit Dogwood Road online ]