*** The Schankman Twins

DUALITY

(City West)

Teen prodigies are part of the bluegrass tradition. Think of young fiddlers Alison Krauss and Mark O'Connor, or Marty Stuart picking guitar at 13 in Lester Flatt's band. So welcome Southern California's Schankman Twins, whose sweet vocal harmonies are so tight, it's no surprise that they're identical twins. Now 17, they were barely 16 when they recorded this delightful debut with poise and confidence. The repertoire shows they've cut their teeth on the best (Ralph Stanley, Dolly Parton), and "Montana Cowboy" gallops past Emmylou Harris's version. Dana's crisp banjo recalls Stanley's mountain flavor. Lauren's darting fiddle is usually buoyant, but the brief wistful blues strains that open Parton's "Applejack" and the eerie primeval riff she drops into the swinging "Waterbound" show that she knows how to color her work with a spectrum of emotions. An impressive maiden voyage. (Write to City West at Box 9226, Calabasas, California 91372.)

-- Bruce Sylvester

(The Schankman Twins, Mollie O'Brien, and Chris Thile play the "Women in Bluegrass" show at Somerville Theatre this Saturday, November 16.)