When Justin Davis was studying in the guitar program at Belmont University, there was a bunch of guys and one young woman in the seminar. The professor randomly paired the students off, and all of the guys were saying, "We'll be all right if we don't get the girl." He was assigned to work with the girl, Sarah Zimmermann, and he figured it was all over for him. He asked her if she knew any blues and Zimmermann pulled out her slide and "proceeded to leave everyone's mind on the floor."

The result was Striking Matches, who were rapidly signed to the recently revived IRS Nashville Records, where T-Bone Burnett produced this, their first album.

And how is the result? In a word, excellent.

Justin Davis and Sarah Zimmermann, who make up Striking Matches, fit together like a hand in a well-worn glove. It's as though they have performed together all of their lives; their voices and instruments blend that well. And both of them can write. Their songs have an archetypal quality; you hear them for the first time and recognize their originality but at the same time, they strike a familiar chord deep within. Among the highlights are the opening cut, "Trouble is as Trouble Does," a guitar workout, while the title track, "Nothing but the Silence," is bluesy and down-home.

Nothing but the Silence is a promising first album, introducing a couple of first-rate talents. It will be interesting to see where they go from here.