[.ca] Bethany And Rufus

From Amazon.com:
Bethany Yarrow and Rufus Cappadocia manage to get quite a bit out of not much at all. Their spare collaboration on 900 Miles references a wide swath of folk and jazz, but the nocturnal smokiness of Yarrow's haunted alto and Cappadocia's cello combine for a sound that's slightly outside of the usual music universe. There's some Cowboy Junkies here, a dash of Tuck & Patti there and an overall otherworldliness more akin to a David Lynch movie. Yarrow doesn't just vamp for the whole record though; her range careens from hushed to strident, and she even does a pretty fair PJ Harvey wail (circa 4-Track Demos) on "Linin' Track," and "Isn't That So?" Meanwhile, Cappadocia often puts down his bow, extracting some funk out of "If I Had My Way," or leading off "East Virginia" with a little Latin guitar flavor. But the heart of the record is in the ballads, as the duo stretches out with long, dark adagio passages filled with dust and desire. Bethany & Rufus successfully transcend their limited instrumentation, coming up with a debut that gets better and better with each listen. -Matthew Cooke

Souful performances.:
Bethany & Rufus are an incredible cello and voice duo that slides elegantly between groove, jazz and psychedelic folk. Their new CD makes it obvious why these indie artists are capturing national attention. It is a stunningly simple and beautiful work, a magical blend of Bethany's electrifying voice (a combination of the husky power of Nina Simone and the open-hearted sweetness of a tiny sparrow) and the mind-blowing, genre-bending cello playing of Rufus Cappadocia. With a deeply soulful sound Bethany (daughter of folk legend Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary) and Rufus have transformed timeless songs such as "900 Miles", "East Virginia", and "St. James Infirmary" -- pushing the boundaries of American folk far into the territory of groove and sweet soul.

• 900 Miles
• East Virginia
• Livin' Track
• Swallow
• St. James Infirmary
• Isn't That So
• If I Had My Way (Samson & Deliliah)
• No More Songs
• Forgiveness
• Asturiana