Dala: Sweet And Gentle Harmony

You'd think spending a decade traveling with the same person might get old after a while. But if you're Sheila Carabine and Amanda Walther, best friends who also happen to sing beautifully together, the quality time only strengthens both your friendship and your musical chemistry. The two make up the folk-pop group Dala, formed in Toronto after they met in high school 10 years ago. Something clicked, and Carabine and Walther have been recording and touring together ever since.

Both members play guitar and piano, with Carabine also supplying ukulele and Walther occasionally pulling out the portable glockenspiel. Dala's music is considered to reside on the pop side of folk, but labels and categories don't seem to be a top-of-mind concern to these singers. Dala recently orchestrated a PBS special featuring female singers from Canada, cleverly titled Girls From the North Country. And, in 2009, it was the only Canadian group invited to perform at the 50th Newport Folk Festival.