If I learned one thing during the time I briefly experimented with Dungeons & Dragons in my youth (14 years is brief, right?), it's that there's no escapism quite like role-playing. Sure, you can immerse yourself in a particularly engrossing novel, or see a movie that, for a couple of hours, suspends your disbelief so convincingly that you forget where you are. But to completely flee your reality, you have to mentally put yourself in someone else's shoes.

On Chitlin' Fooks' self-titled debut, Bettie Serveert's Carol van Dijk and Sukilove's Pascal Deweze both leave their real-world projects behind and enter a fantasy land of Nashville twang and Grand Ole Opry glitz. In fact, they so fluidly blend into the new style they've undertaken here that I suspect they both have a bit of secret experience rolling the eight-sided dungeon dice.

For this project, van Dijk and Deweze brought in the material they'd written that wouldn't fit in with the sound of their day job bands, as well as some of their favorite standards. Four covers range from the pleasant (Flying Burrito Brothers' "Juanita") to the ill-advised (the traditional "Mother's Last Words to Her Son" and Jimmie Rodgers "Mississippi Delta Blues"). Deweze's compositions have a decidedly more pop bent than van Dijk's, whose more alternative background sometimes prevents her from seeming authentic in this setting.

Largely duet-driven, the bulk of Chitlin' Fooks features the heavenly blending of Carol's lazy alto and Pascal's smooth, pop pipes. And on par with the harmonies found in classic country pairings Parsons/Harris or Campbell/Tucker, "One Week Later" opens the disc with an heart-rending tale of C&W; love gone awry. "You were so sure you'd forget me/ You didn't want me by your side/ When someone new came and took you/ I thought I'd be glad to say goodbye." It doesn't come more traditional than that.

But these aren't all slow-dancers. A couple of the songs are lively, rebel yell-inducing numbers, such as the rambunctious "How Many Times" and the exceptional "The Battle," both of which had this once-and-future geek digging through his closet for those sequined and tasseled cowboy boots I usually deny owning.

One of the more outstanding tracks comes with van Dijk's 50's country lullaby "Picture Book Memories," which features some brilliant mandolin playing by guest musician Reinhard VanBergen. Comparisons to Patsy Cline shouldn't be tossed about frivolously (and usually aren't), but on this song, Cline's unique blend of wistful country-pop is definitely summoned from the past.

Supported by a cast of Belgian heavyweights (don't worry, you've never heard of any of them), the musicianship here more than matches the phenomenal vocal talents of van Dijk and Deweze, and goes a long way toward selling the sincerity of this project. Ragtime, honky-tonk, country pop and old tyme are all well represented, in addition to being well executed.

But this isn't going to be the disc to use if you want to convince your indie rock pals that a lap steel is no reason to write off an album-- it's far too conventional for that. Even those with alt-country leanings may find it too down-homey. If your musical tastes are broad, however, a lot of Chitlin' Fooks could charm you with its fun spirit and genuine love for the throwback material.

-John Dark, September 24th, 2001