Fiery Gizzard
Dear Life, 2025
8/10
The Tarheel-via-Tennessee fiddle and banjo player Joseph Decosimo brings his Appalachia and American South influences to these 10 organic and rich songs.
“Ida Red” starts the listen with a warm spirit, where Cleek Schrey’s fluid pump organ suits Decosimo’s flowing fiddle and expressive voice, and “Glory In The Meetinghouse” follows with Andy Stack’s electric bass amid Decosimo’s atmospheric banjo via the textured climate.
The middle track belongs to “Shady Grove”, where Matthew O’Connell’s well timed synth is aligned with the meticulous fiddle, while “Billy Button” recruits Libby Rodenbough’s pretty voice and intimate keys alongside poetic banjo.
Close to the end, “The Queen Of Rocky Ripple” might be the best track, as Joe O’Connell’s smooth voice and cozy acoustic guitar pair with Stephanie Coleman’s soft pipes, and “Boatsman” exits with hardanger d’amore from Schrey populating the minimal and memorable finish.
Sometimes haunting but always possessing beauty, Decosimo’s resume includes work on records by Jake Xerxes Fussell, Wye Oak, and Hiss Golden Messenger, and this 3rd solo album spotlights his take on traditional music with much care and charm.
Travels well with: Allison de Groot/Tatiana Hargreaves- Hurricane Clarice; Scorggins + Rose- Speranza