Variety and versatility have long been the hallmarks of Nefesh Mountain’s career. Based in upstate New York, the duo — consisting of the husband-wife team of singer Doni Zasloff and vocalist, guitarist, and banjo/guitar player Eric Lindberg — have shown their appreciation for traditional music through their ability to bend its boundaries and give it a contemporary context. Americana, folk, bluegrass, jazz, and blues are all part of their wheelhouse, all tempered within the context of their Jewish heritage and reverence for roots music in general.
They take that combined devotion several steps further with Beacons, a two CD set with Eden Sky Records that devotes one disc to Americana and the other to bluegrass. Boasting 18 tracks, it features an impressive array of iconic contributors — Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Mark Schatz, Greg Leisz, Rob McCoury, and Cody Kilby among them.
Given the presence of those particular musicians, it’s certainly understandable that the bluegrass offerings on the second disc provide certain standouts. In many ways, they become astute examples of the duo’s talent and tenacity. Although they wrote the majority of these offerings, their covers of Derek and the Dominos’ Keep On Growing, Rodney Crowell’s beautiful ballad Song for the Life, and the seasoned standard, Keep You Lamp Trimmed and Burning demonstrate the verve and versatility that’s at the very core of Nefesh Mountain’s efforts and ingenuity.
Although some listeners may be drawn to one disc over another, in truth, the two halves work well in sync. The music flows well throughout, and in truth, though it’s billed as “unadulterated Americana,” there’s not a lot of discernible difference between the two sides other than the instrumentation. Those that appreciate any sort of traditional tapestry will find reason to revel in all Beacons has to offer. In that regard, Nefesh Mountain has scaled a new summit.
