To see The Cantrells perform is like watching poetry in motion. You’d think there was a stage full of musicians – when it’s just the two of them, locked in an intuitive dance of brilliant voice, sweet fiddle, dazzling mandolin and driving guitar. Al and Emily are consummate artists in every way, as their values and passion are woven into their lyrical and rhythmic music.
It’s no surprise The Cantrells are again rambling the Rockies – so much of their song is valleys, peaks, rivers, and trails along the Great Divide. From stories of adventure in Montana, Wyoming and Colorado, they detour into the American Songbook, bluegrass classics, and Celtic, with a few sizzling fiddle tunes to pepper a very tasty recipe.
The Cantrells have been welcomed on numerous national radio shows, including Mountain Stage, Riders Radio Theater, River City Folk and E-Town. Robert Redford hand-picked them to perform in his hit movie A River Runs Through It. Their five critically acclaimed CDs of mostly original songs – the latest, Weather Reports – include the talents of Bela Fleck Jerry Douglas, Tim O’Brien and Riders in the Sky.
Emily and Al share rural roots: she, a cotton farm in the Mississippi delta region of Tennessee; and he, the shoreline of Puget Sound, Washington.
“Emily can just flat out sing and Al’s a fiddler’s fiddler.” –Nashville Tennessean
