In the media yoke this week is “Rule of Three,” the new album from fiddle player Maura Shawn Scanlin. Joined by John Doyle (guitar and bouzouki), Duncan Wickel (fiddle, bouzouki, cello), and a couple of very special guests, it’s a well-hewn album that “explores the scope of Celtic music in America, from Maura’s unique vantage point in Western North Carolina.” Scanlin is a top-shelf player with an intriguing background and what she’s put together here makes this album an intriguing listen, indeed.
Born in Boone, N.C, and now living in Asheville, Scanlin’s album is rooted in tradition. She’s one half of the Celtic and American folk roots duo group Rakish with guitarist Conor Hearn and has made two albums with him, including “Counting Down the Hours” and “Now, O Now,” which I covered respectively here in 2021 and here in 2024.
In addition, Scanlin’s played and toured with some of the greats in Irish music including Seamus Egan, Maeve Gilchrist, Hanneke Cassel and Karan Casey, and if that were not enough she is a two-time U.S. National Scottish Fiddling Champion, and a winner of the Glenfiddich Fiddle Championship in Perthshire, Scotland. Her background, however, is in classical music. A member of the Rasa String Quartet, she has a master’s degree in violin performance from the Yale School of Music and has participated in several important international competitions. All of this makes her a top-tier musician, well positioned to put together this sort of album.
John Doyle and Duncan Wickel round out the core group. Doyle is, of course, one of the greats in Irish music over the last 30 years or so, having been with Solas, Green Fields of America, Joan Baez, The Alt, Kevin Crawford, Liz Carroll, and about a million others. I recently wrote about his new album “Free by Nature: Songs of the Irish in the American Revolution” – on which Scanlin is a guest performer – and I encourage folks to go check that one out. Wickel is a dynamic young fiddle and cello player well at home in old time and bluegrass. A member of the band Rising Appalachia (who recently did one of those NPR Music Tiny Desk Concerts), he’s performed and recorded with the Wood Brothers, Molly Tuttle, The Duhks, as well as with John Doyle & Karan Casey. A brilliant musician, he adds important depth to the overall sound.
In her notes to the album, Scanlin tells us she recorded it shortly after she moved back to western North Carolina in an effort to reconnect with the musical community around where she grew up and some very fine music was made as a result. “Rule of Three,” its titular track, contains three tunes including one of Scanlin’s own. It has a hard and energetic feel, with a “downshift” in the latter third that adds powerful and rewarding drive and gives the track great character. This drive is also apparent in “Minor Complications,” a track that pairs a tune by Sorcha Costello with one by Paddy Fahy. This one has a nice, traditional feel to it, but given some modern polish in sound.
“Princess Nancy / …” is a trio of jigs, one of which was composed by the great Liz Carroll. Beautifully done, the playing on this one is expressive and lonesome-sounding in a way that seems to suggest both Martin Hayes and Roscoe Holcomb and fits in with the album’s direction. I hear this “lonesome” vibe, too, in “Nahatlatch,” a slow, plaintive composition by Mark Simos, where Doyle’s sensitive backing and Wickel’s fiddle playing complement the tone in Scanlin’s playing perfectly.
Mike McGoldrick (flute) is the guest on “Geremy’s Jig.” He’s a great addition to the album, adding a facet to the album that is both distinctive and subtle. McAuley’s (accordion) appearance on “Factor’s Row” is similarly noteworthy. McAuley is an outstanding player who elevates that track on which he appears, a track that includes another of Scanlin’s tunes.
“Rule of Three” is a strong album with an interesting, well executed vision. The variety and range of material Scanlin’s chosen does a fine job of articulating Celtic music with an Appalachian viewpoint and will excite listeners, particularly those with a taste for exploring old sounds with a progressive lens. Scanlin is, of course, a superb musician whose plays with a distinctive voice that remains clear and strong in an album stacked with tremendous musicians. Give this one a spin, it’s a delight! To learn more and to purchase, visit her website here
