This past weekend, on a whim, I took a little spontaneous trip to Talkeetna with a brilliant artist friend of mine named Danell Yell. It was there I discovered a nearly untapped treasure of local music to be had by a local music junky, such as yours truly. If I had $15 for every local artist I saw on the shelves of the various shops and galleries along the beaten path, I would have had to forego lunch and gas to get us home. So on that day, I chose just one: Esther Golton’s “Unfinished Houses.”

Golton plays a unique stringed instrument not often featured these days in music, regional or otherwise, known as the mountain dulcimer It kind of looks like a cross between a violin and a very small acoustic guitar, though it has a long, thin shape with two holes on either side of the strings. In this case, the holes are in the shape of hearts, much like Golton’s music, which is full of heart. The instrument is either strummed or picked, making a rich and distinct sound all its own.

Golton’s vocals are silky smooth, precise and winsome, especially when accompanied by other voices. She has a fluency to her words that allow the listener to decipher every syllable uttered. Golton has a way of telling her stories that make you feel as if you shared with her in her experiences personally.

In “Going to Shadow,” she sings, “We’re hiding in the bushes, not breathing, but we’re very much alive. Shadu’s gone back to grazing as the car pulls out the drive. We’re giggling at the sky.”

Golton writes some of the catchiest choruses I’ve ever heard, with these fantastic harmonies quite reminiscent of Crosby, Stills and Nash.

In “The Hoe-down Philosopher,” the chorus is immediately imprinted in my mind like it was something I’ve heard before in a dream and now I realize that I am no longer dreaming, because this enchanting sound is for real. The chorus resonates with “Nobody promised us crystalline clarity. Nobody modeled us simple sincerity. There’s only one murky conclusion that I can see, life must be filtered.”

Golton’s music has such a rich vibe about it, the kind of sound that sends chills down my spine, because it is like I’ve discovered a secret that the rest of the world will soon find out about.

So in the meantime, I will savor in the idea that I found her first.

To give this fantastic artist a listen, stop by fabulous Talkeetna and it won’t take you long to find her.

Josh Cole is a local musician and CD connoisseur. For a possible review of a new released, e-mail Josh Cole at lettersfromthevoid@yahoo.com or at Myspace.com/familiarwalls.