03/20/2015 Huffington Post, Album review , 'The Lomax Collection - Anna & Elizabeth Review'

Anna & Elizabeth, the duo of Anna Roberts-Gevalt and Elizabeth LaPrelle, has returned with a second CD of (mostly) traditional ballads, hymns, love songs, and fiddle tunes from the Appalachians. Two young women with a lot of projects both together and separately, they’re known as a musical duo, as co-hosts of the Floyd Radio Show in Floyd, Virginia, and as two of the foremost “crankie” artists in the country. Musically, LaPrelle’s powerful vocal delivery is supported Roberts-Gevalt’s gentler and more lyrical sound. Between them they also play banjo, fiddle, and guitar. Their approach can be very traditional, as on hymns like “ Long Time Travelin’” and country classics by the Carter Family and the Stanley Brothers. But they also enjoy avant-garde touches, like the discordant droning underlying their harrowing version of “Greenwood Sidey,” a song about infanticide and ghost-babies from Hell. Other highlights include the old Scottish ballad “Orfeo,” and “Father Neptune,” a song by the mysterious Connie Converse. LaPrelle and Roberts-Gevalt give each song and tune what it needs to thrive. When LaPrelle’s tight voice sings “God sent to Hezekiah a message from on high,” while Roberts-Gevalt’s guitar chops along like a train gathering steam, you know you’ve found the real thing!

What about Lomax? One connection is their rendition of “Poor Pilgrim of Sorrow,” which they learned from a 1937 field recording of Kentucky singer Martha Williams made by John Lomax. Another is their whole attitude and approach: by visiting old folks and recording their songs, producing their own art and music, hosting radio, and thinking about what these old songs mean, they’re leading a life like Alan Lomax’s. By spending time in archives (including Lomax’s beloved Library of Congress, where LaPrelle had a fellowship years ago), they’re ensuring his work and the work of others like him will remain relevant forever. The names Anna and Elizabeth even have a special resonance: they’re also the names of Lomax’s daughter and his wife. Thanks to musicians like these two, and the others I’ve talked about here, Alan Lomax can rest easy and be proud of those he inspired.