Richard Ruane and Beth Duquette

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Notch Road, Best Folk Album, Vermont Times Argus- TAMMIE for 2019

"The Best Folk Album goes to Richard Ruane and Beth Duquette for “Notch Road.” This album is an acoustic, folk and Celtic-infused delight with traditional ballads and 1930s-style jazz songs. It covers a lot of ground on its 13 tracks. Consistency in performance, creativity and recording is rare. Musicians often change styles or explore music that may not fit their talents. With Ruane and Duquette we are treated to a wonderfully entertaining album."-Vermont Times Argus Arts correspondent Art Edelstein

Notch Road named one of the Best Vermont Albums of 2018 by County Tracks

“A couple of songs on Notch Road are covers of traditional folk tunes, but you’ll be hard pressed to tell which ones if you don’t already know them. Every track sounds like it could be some old farming ballad or vintage romantic lament. Take “Come On Back,” which sounds like something Jean Ritchie might have sung. Equally timeless are the pair’s harmonies, beautifully delicate blends that keep fresh songs both old and just old-sounding.”- Ray Padgett, County Tracks

Ellie Brown, from Notch Road named one of the Best Songs of 2018 by County Tracks

“Ellie Brown” sounds like an ancient folk tune, something Joan Baez might have covered in her Greenwich Village days. So much so, in fact, that I spent a minute Googling the lyrics to see where the song came from. Straight from Richard Ruane’s own pen, it turns out. Beth Duquette’s warm harmonies fill out the sound beautifully. It’s not too late to record this for your next album, Joan.”- Ray Padgett, County Tracks

Notch Road, Best of 2018, Folkchef’s Kitchen podcast

Notch Road, Top Albums of 2018 FolkDJ list

Notch Road Reviews

"These are all the best Vermont songs, but this (Ellie Brown) is also the most Vermont song. Ruane packs in hyper-local references from Windham County to Middlebury to Rutland. You needn’t know any of those references to be transfixed by the song though. It sounds like an ancient folk tune, something Bob Dylan might have covered before he picked up a pen, but is in fact an original. An instant classic, beautifully aided by Beth Duquette’s harmonies." Ray Padgett, County Tracks May 2018

“The original songs, mostly penned by Ruane, more than hold up, but the most impressive thing about this record is its versatility. Both singers have engaging voices, the songs never linger too long, and the writing has true character. For those who have already been listening to the duo, none of that will come as a surprise — though these are arguably the strongest tunes they've written to date.”~ Vermont Seven Days July 2018

“Ruane is adept at the fine art of storytelling put to song. His originals speak to different shades of love, joy, mystery and real life." Terry Lickona - producer of Austin City Limits

"Ruane’s work on guitar is full of finesse and creativity. [Ruane’s writing] possesses the three critical tools necessary to any writer in any genre – narrative sensibility, a poet’s ear, and a sense of humor."  Jeff Trippe - Maine Folk Music 

"Duquette’s and Ruane’s voices weave delightfully through each other and the music. Herb van der Poll "- Vermont's Seven Days

"Ruane is a talented storyteller, painting whole scenes with his lyrics. Duquette has a lovely voice, and her soulfulness shines through." Robert Resnik – Vermont’s Seven Days

Review by Art Edelstein, The Vermont Times Argus, June 2018:

“Continuing their very successful recording career, the two Ripton musicians have produced an album that echoes their previous recordings. It is virtually flawless.” “Ruane’s song, “Ellie Brown,” tells a story about Vermont in the style of a traditional ballad that could have been collected by Helen Hartness Flanders.“ “As with the duo’s previous work, this is music with substance and intelligence covering a variety of themes.“ “Ranging from the light-hearted to the serious, the songs cover making stuffed clams in a factory, the toll addiction takes, lost love, living happily with love, two crows conversing, and imagining an extended personal ad from Vermont’s Seven Days weekly newspaper column “I Spy.” Many of the songs have a strong sense of place with specific references to locations around Vermont and elsewhere.” “With Richard Ruane and Beth Duquette, we are treated to a wonderfully entertaining album."

Review by Chris Farnsworth, Vermont Seven Days July 2018-Richard Ruane & Beth Duquette, Notch Road

"When you look at me, do you see a future or a chain?"

That is no simple question to ask a lover. You can imagine everything going still as two people suddenly grapple with such a behemoth between them, two hearts trying to find each other through all the bullshit life can bring.

Such is the power of Richard Ruane and Beth Duquette's new record, Notch Road. The love songs are never simple. The anecdotes are far from cliché. And when the album asks questions such as the one quoted above from "Back With Rosemarie," they are the morally complicated yearnings of adulthood, lined with equal parts regret and weathered hope.

Ruane and Duquette first made local waves with trio Bread and Bones, earning accolades for their traditionally based folk music. After the Ripton band's 2011 album Could Have Been a Dream, it trimmed down to a duo. Notch Road marks the couple's debut, but it has all the confidence and mastery a longtime listener might expect. The songwriting is heavy with experience.

"Ellie Brown" is a Vermont-centric paean to heartbreak. From Windham through Rutland counties, town after town is name-checked over a classic folk arrangement. The towns appear in Ruane's car window as he passes by and thinks about a long-lost love. "But only now and then," he clarifies, a mournful note in his voice as he learns to let that old love go.

The album is not all doom and gloom. Ruane and Duquette have a quirky side, too. The jaunty "I Spy" takes a look at love and courting through the lens of Seven Days' infamous section of the same name. Over Ruane's clear, assured acoustic guitar, Duquette waxes philosophic about dating in the 21st century. "You seem pretty safe, and so am I," she sings. "Let me treat you to a coffee and some pie."

The duo takes on a traditional tune in "Harbour of Typee," originally performed by Ewan MacColl, A.L. Lloyd and Peggy Seeger for a 1962 documentary called Whaler Out of New Bedford. A gothic dread hangs over Ruane's arrangement, and his and Duquette's voices create a vivid picture of frozen ropes, freezing harbors and dreams of southern seas.

The original songs, mostly penned by Ruane, more than hold up, but the most impressive thing about this record is its versatility. Both singers have engaging voices, the songs never linger too long, and the writing has true character. For those who have already been listening to the duo, none of that will come as a surprise — though these are arguably the strongest tunes they've written to date.

Press for for Richard, Beth & Mitch Barron (Bread and Bones):

"Richard Ruane, Beth Duquette and Mitch Barron demonstrated their sophistication as performers Saturday at the Music Box. They shared a warm and spontaneous sense of humor that kept everyone entertained through their almost two dozen songs. Ruane is a skillful player of guitar, banjo, mandolin and ukulele with a classic folk singers voice, and he composed most of the tunes. Duquette has a particularly lovely, pure voice with fine enunciation. Barron provides an excellent foundation rhythm on his electric bass guitar and upright double bass. Ruane and Duquette harmonize well vocally, that male/female contrast enriching the melodic lines. Traditional folk songs rounded out the interestingly varied repertoire of this group. Ruane's original songs had excellent melodies, combining imaginative lyrics with well-crafted tunes, frequently having demanding instrumental work." - David K. Rodgers, Hardwick Gazette