 
One of the striking things about “Exploration” is its timeless quality. The music sounds like it could have been made any time in, say, the last 40 years. Husband-and-wife combo Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion have been likened to Johnny and June Cash, but a more apt comparison is Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris. Like Gram and Emmylou, the newcomers freely pull from country, folk and rock traditions. They have a sound as old as the mountains on some songs, politically charged as old ‘60s radicals on others and then as free-wheelin’ as a rock band on the rest. Their fine harmonies tie all the pieces together. Guthrie and Irion sound like old hands as they kick off the CD with
a pair of tunes that highlight their high-lonesome sound. Listen to
Guthrie find a few extra syllables in the word “telephone”
on “Cease Fire.” This is pure front-porch music. Guthrie and Irion, together or individually, contributed 11 of the 12 songs on the disc. The exception is “Dr. King,” a new tune from legendary folkie Pete Seeger. For the record, Guthrie is the daughter of Arlo and the granddaughter of Woody. Irion is a veteran of the Carolina indie-rock scene. Together, they are a new force on the alt-country scene. -- D. Kimura
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Sarah
Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion