The latest signing to Virginia's venerable Rebel Records, Dehlia Low's a band, not a person -- five pieces, in fact. Slyly acknowledging the limited value of genre names, they call their music "Appalachiagrassicana," but what that really means is a well-constructed kind of Asheville grass, minus the banjo (made up for to a large extent by busy bee dobro player Aaron Balance) but plus a strong female vocal duo in fiddler Anya Hinkle and guitarist Stacy Claude. Lots of original material on their Rebel debut,
Ravens & Crows, makes them a natural for Bluebird, and it's good stuff, with melancholy, lopsided melodies that stretch over old-time flavored but ultimately modern chord progressions. The group has taken off like a skyrocket, pushing two earlier self-releases high on rootsy WNCW's favorites lists. And deservedly so: In a musical world that doesn't always treasure creativity, Dehlia Low has staked out a good piece of ground all its own.
— Jon Weisberger