Treasures by Darol Anger & Emy Phelps

It's a collection of original and traditional songs by Emy Phelps, with Darol and some friends whom you know:
Bruce Molsky, Eugene Friesen, Natalie Haas, Duke Levine, Maeve Gilchrist, Sally Van Meter, Kai Welch, Ethan Jodziewicz, Grant Gordy, Lula Wiles, Aidan O'Donnell, Wes Corbett, Allison De Groot, Jacob Ransom, Neil Pearlman, and others.
Emy Phelps sang lead vocals on all cuts except While You Were Sleeping (it's an instrumental) and played guitar on very song except Angel Gabriel.
Darol played his octave mandolin on everything except The Blackest Crow, and 5-string fiddles on most everything except While You Were Sleeping and Pretty Bird. He also played other instruments where noted.

..."All Those Treasures In Your Nest; Can You Tell Me Which One Is The Best?"
That's a crucial line from Emy's original song "The Magpie", written on her life-changing residency at the famed UCross Artist Colony in rural Wyoming. It's hard to say what might be the "best" of this collection of songs by Emy Phelps, reaching across 2 decades of songwriting.

But the idea of family, love, attachment, separation, and many of the most important issues that human beings face are front and center here, framed in a wide-ranging acoustic palette presided over by one of Acoustic String Music's most wizardly characters, Darol Anger. Darol contributes not only state-of-the-art pop fiddling, but numerous other memorable moments on such instruments as  Octave Mando-Uke, Left-handed Accordion, electric screwdriver, and Fuzz Octave Mandolin.

A truly monumental foundation is laid by two modern bass masters: the spectacular Edgar Meyer protege Ethan Jodziewicz, and the heir apparent to the great Danny Thompson's bass crown: fellow Scot Aidan O'Donnell. The orchestra surrounding and permeating these songs is a Who's Who of modern acoustic music, with rising stars trading licks with celebrated heroes of the genre.

The late beloved Emy Phelps's genius was for classic poetic simplicity of lyric, combined with a lush forest of sound rivaling the Pacific Northwest's densest gardens. Two great traditional songs also made it into this collection, fitting seamlessly into the weave of sound and emotion. Which of these treasures will speak most directly to you?

Darol Anger has helped drive the evolution of contemporary violin through pathbreaking ensembles such as his Republic Of Strings, the Turtle Island String Quartet, the David Grisman Quintet, Montreux, Psychograss, and others. Composing, teaching, and performing internationally since 1977, he has produced numerous important recordings and soundtracks.

darolanger.com