Positive Friction
Roots-rockers Donna the Buffalo count both Bob Marley and Ralph Stanley as major influences. It's a tribute to the band's musicianship and to the songwriting talents of Tara Nevins and Jeb Puryear that they are able to blend such disparate styles into a cohesive whole. On "Yonder," for example, the sound of Nevins's Appalachian fiddle and slightly nasal country voice soar over the driving drum and wah-wah guitar groove as if it is the most natural thing in the world. And their mournful version of "Man of Constant Sorrow" is such a surprisingly perfect blend of tropical island rhythms and old-time mountain harmonies, you wonder if Ralph Stanley might have spent some time as a member of the Wailers. But for all of their contemporary genre-bending,Positive Frictionhas an earthy feel that makes you realize they are just an old-time string band who have picked up a few tricks to help them survive in the modern world.--Michael Simmons