There wouldn’t be enough room in this publication to cite all of Dirk Powell’s accomplishments. An abbreviated list includes being a Balfa Toujours founding member and a pillar of the old-time music community, movie scores, producing/engineering countless recordings, and a longtime sideman with folk icon Joan Baez. Oh yeah, he’s a songwriter too, besides being a multi-multi-instrumentalist.
On his latest folk/old-time/Americana-fused release, there’s also a strong Celtic presence given the presence of several Scottish musicians: fiddler John McCusker, drummer James Mackintosh, Capercaillie’s whistle man Michael McGoldrick, and accordionist/pianist Donald Shaw. The project started at co-producer Shaw’s Glasgow studio and then jumped across the pond where it was completed at Powell’s Cypress House studio along the banks of Bayou Teche.
Powell wrote 12 of the 13 tunes with the only non-original being “The Silk Merchant’s Daughter,” a centuries-old ballad where the heroine avoids death after a shipwreck. While Powell could be making a statement about how American folk music stems from Celtic music, he’s not. Instead, it’s more about creating a warm, glowing ambiance of playing music with friends through the night.
He does take a stance against misogynistic tunes involving violence against women (“I Ain’t Playing Pretty Polly.”) Considering Powell was weaned in the old-time culture, it’s a considerably rebellious statement and the album’s most socially relevant moment. 
Elsewhere, his songs have a philosophical bent. On “Say Old Playmate,” an aged protagonist reflects on an early love that was never allowed to blossom and hints at the life they could have shared. “You Will Live Love” is particularly poetic with its flower metaphor and the protagonist who’s optimistic about finding love again.
Yet, heavy thoughts aren’t lurking behind every corner as lighthearted moments exist as well. “Olivia” is bright, springy, and euphoric. “Les Yeux de Rosalie” is, ingeniously enough, a Cajun-Celtic waltz that reinvents itself as a lively two-step in its last sprint.
Though Powell plays a dozen instruments and shares the wealth with 17 other musicians/vocalists, including Rhiannon Giddens, the arrangements aren’t overly thick. Still, there’s plenty that can’t be digested with a few superficial listens. Rare for a CD these days, the packaging is a three-panel fold-out containing lyrics, allowing for a better appreciation of Powell’s acute song-smithing.
