Even the Sparrow

Kelly Hunt possesses an exceptionally lithe and expressive voice, which sounds like a delicate songbird imbued with the mojo of a hip raptor (think Iris DeMent meets Norah Jones). The daughter of an opera singer and a saxophonist, Hunt was raised in Memphis, Tennessee. Now based in Kansas City, she taught herself how to play the banjo, which in this case is a well-seasoned tenor model with a calfskin head found in a used instrument shop, deftly wielded with a captivatingly spare tone. Even the Sparrow's title-track is a haunting, spectral wonder distinguished by Hunt's high, lonesome articulation, which flits around and wafts above the Appalachian-inflected melodic line soulfully carried by Staś Heaney's fiddle and the singer's banjo. ‘Oh Brother Where Art Thou’ adds Tyler Giles’ acoustic guitar to the mix in a deeply swung old-time murder ballad, which may or may not pay homage to the Coen Brothers movie of the same name. Hunt's special connection with her southern heritage is further rooted in ‘Back to Dixie’, ‘Men of Blue & Grey’ and ‘Gloryland’, which closes out this brilliantly accomplished project with a rousing evocation of an evangelical tent revival.