Rootbound
Review by Joe Ross, Roseburg, Oregon - email rossjoe@hotmail.com

Rootbound is a duo that emphasizes straightforward rhythm guitar and mandolin picking, good harmony, and solid song selection from the old-time, bluegrass, cowboy, and early country music canon. Deb Kauffmann (guitar, vocals) and Henry Koretzky (mandolin, guitar, vocals) hail from Pennsylvania. Deb has studied under singers Ginny Hawker and Dede Wyland, and she has performed with the Back Burner String Band, Ladies in the Parlor, Late for Supper, and with singer/guitarist Jamie O'Brien. Henry has performed in both bluegrass and klezmer bands such as Cornerstone, Sweetwater Reunion, High Strung, and The Old World Folk Band. He's also accompanied singer-songwriters and plays contradance, Celtic and swing music with such groups as Contra Rebels, Gnu Tones, Sink or Swing, Sweet Nothings, Late for Supper, and with fiddler Ryck Kaiser.

Rootbound's CD recalls a classic sound of yesteryear when brother duos or husband/wife duos were commonplace. While Rootbound draws repertoire from A.P. Carter, The Stanley Brothers, The Coon Creek Girls, and other traditional sources, they also offer more contemporary songs that stylistically fit their presentation. One example is “Fistful of Rain,” that has been described as “a Buddhist gospel song” with the advice to “grab ahold of that fistful of rain.” They also give a raw-boned interpretation of Bruce Springsteen's “If I Should Fall Behind” that seems to work for the duo, perhaps due to the song's Carter Family influences. “There's a Mailbox on the Dark Side of the Moon” was written by brilliant Long Island songwriter Martha Trachtenberg. And “Dark End of the Street” is a Dan Penn classic which Rootbound creatively arranged as if it were a Louvin Brothers duet. “I Wonder Where You Are Tonight” undergoes radical tempo and melodic revision to a minor key.

Both Kauffmann and Koretzky offer some originals. Deb's “How Much He Cares,” the first song she wrote, provides us with good advice for dealing with life's trials and travails. Henry's “Willie's Last Night” is a murder ballad as told by “sisters-in-blood”  who have no mercy for their murderer's fate. “Thousands of Ladies are Crying” is a ¾-time song written by Deb and her husband about a Civil War battle known as Pickett's Charge.

Many albums today are over-produced (“slickened”) to the point that songs become formulaic and too sanitized. Rootbound, on the other hand, strives for a rustic purity that preserves the very essence of traditional duos. Their set is visceral, with a profound impact on our gut. Delivered with earnest effort and considerable personality, I was surprised that Rootbound's fiddle-less rendition of “Mason's Apron” and banjo-less version of “Banjo Pickin' Girl” actually work. The reason is that they are simply free of frills and wanting to preserve a musical heritage. The duo's moniker and their music tell us that they are making a conscious effort to capture traditional sounds that have stirred and excited us for generations, while simultaneously expanding the repertoire to keep it from becoming literally “rootbound.”  (Joe Ross)