Moon Over the Freeway
A singing duo of Amanda Barrett on mandolin and dulcimer, and Abby DeWald on guitar, this is the second release by The Ditty Bops. They draw liberally on genres of yore, hopping from western swing to vaudevillian theatrics, jazz, and folk music. They mine a vein similar to what Dan Hicks was doing with his Hot Licks in the early seventies, though their compositional sensibilities embrace a wider realm. Sympathetically produced by Mitchell Froom (who also plays keyboards, though the dazzling turn at the piano on "Aluminum Can" is by Greg Rutledge), they're joined by some of the finest players to be found in Los Angeles, including the ever-apt percussion of Elvis Costello's longtime drummer, Pete Thomas. While the title song opens the set on a quaint note, by the third number, "Fall Awake," it becomes clear that The Ditty Bops are not to be pigeonholed. The set's one cover, Boudleaux and Felice Bryant's "Bye Bye Love," is sweet but breaks the parade of their own resonant and mysterious songs.--David Greenberger