Crooked Still – Shaken By A Low Sound

It’s kind of amusing to hear cherubic-voiced Aoife O’Donovan sing a number of songs about toting around major firearms. Sure, they’re mainly traditional American roots numbers, but O’Donovan tackles the tunes like a woman who’s been wronged. Badly.

Having the angel belt out gun-powdered vengeance songs isn’t the only dichotomy on Shaken By A Low Sound, the Boston band’s powerful debut for the Signature Sounds label. There’s also that low/high thing. Rushad Eggleston’s inventively meandering cello parts combine with Corey DiMario’s booming double-bass lines to give Crooked Still a thunderous bottom that rivals the low-pitch growl of legendary Boston band Morphine. Put O’Donovan’s Celtic-tinged, emotive vocals against that backdrop, and it sounds even more innocent and pure.

Banjo player Gregory Liszt rounds out the core lineup, often trading off with cello between rhythm and lead parts. (Liszt’s prowess on the banjo landed him a spot in Bruce Springsteen’s recent Seeger Sessions touring ensemble.)

Crooked Still has a knack for compelling interpretations, as on their gritty version of Robert Johnson’s haunting “Come On My Kitchen” and their take on the gospel number “Ain’t No Grave”, with a blistering banjo solo. On a down note, while it’s interesting to hear a band tackle Bob Dylan’s race-conscious “Oxford Town” all these years later, Crooked Still speeds it up so much that it’s hard to focus on anything other than their hyper-caffeinated tempo.