Maria Muldaur - Richland Woman Blues (2001)

In so many ways, this offering from Maria Muldaur--her 25th--is a surprise. To begin with, there's the overall rootsy feel, with a very classic, traditional aesthetic governing most of the material--unusual indeed for a vocalist whose Meet Me Where They Play the Blues and Music for Lovers were rooted in much more of a pop sensibility. Then again, since Muldaur started out with folksy jug bands, often in the company of ex-husband and modern folkster Geoff Muldaur, maybe this return to the roots isn't too surprising.

But then, there's her choice of guest stars; Richland Woman Blues is as much about Muldaur's collaborators as it is about her own voice. Some of them are obvious, given the album's bent: there are two excellent duets with Alvin Youngblood Hart, one with Taj Mahal, and a couple of tracks featuring Californian blues guitarist Roy Rogers (no, not that one!). But there's also keyboard work from Dave Mathews on two tracks, a devotional duet with Bonnie Raitt, and a rich, throaty duet with Tracy Nelson, in which both women acquit themselves admirably. While a departure from her usual idiom, this is a sound, solid entry in Muldaur's body of work, where she holds her own with a cast of distinguished guests