(Sugar Hill)

www.sugarhillrecords.com

These days, country duet albums are so few and far between that, for those of us who are particularly partial to them, any sighting quickens the breath. It's even better when the item is as engaging as this one from Australian husband-and-wife twosome Shane Nicholson and Kasey Chambers, who conjoin their simpatico voices on 14 songs, all penned by the pair singly or in tandem.

The instrumentation makes their country primarily acoustic, although the fiddle-and-steel waltz "Sweetest Waste of Time" is a fine piece of electric hardcore country. The intense, edgy vibe of "Rattlin' Bones," "Sleeping Cold," and especially, "Your Day Will Come," with its mix of gutbucket guitar, fiddle and banjo, all nod toward the intense, edgy sound of Buddy Miller; "Once in a While" is sweet, banjo-laced country-rock slowdown; "The House That Never Was" is close to straight-up bluegrass; and "The Devil's Inside My Head" and Woe Is Mine" offer an old-timey sound, with lyrics that seem as ancient.

Chambers' voice, shot through with cracks and tears, is as twangy and powerful as ever; dueting and harmonizing with Nicholson's, trading back and forth and playing off each other, the singing of both gains a new dimension via this extended pairing.

Standout tracks: "Once in a While," "Your Day Will Come" STUART MUNRO