There’s beauty in simplicity. That’s certainly the guiding principle in Dubl Handi’s debut release, Up Like the Clouds.
Dubl Handi (named after a brand of washboards) is the latest project of Hilary Hawke, who seems to be a well-known personage of the Brooklyn old-timey music scene.
Is it fair to say that there’s a “Brooklyn sound” by now? The delicate, spacious percussive rhythms that I (at least) hear from groups in the borough south of mine is in full force here. But not to worry — it just gives a contemporary kick to some of the earthiest, folksiest contemporary tunes you’ll hear this year.
Hawke and her musical partner, Brian Geltner, bring a deep respect for the old traditions to the table, but the compositions are sharp enough — and the lyrics witty enough — to be accessible to a modern ear. And that’s the whole point of folk music, right?
Dubl Handi — ReverbNation, Hilary Hawke, Bandcamp, Facebook