Gillian Welch – The Harrow & The Harvest

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Songstress Gillian Welch is back with her fifth album (and first in eight years), one that’s full of soulful, country-driven, sparse tracks that give a glimpse into a different kind of Americana, with deep roots in folk, country and bluegrass.

A sparse record that follows up 2003’s well received Soul Journey, Welch and musical partner David Rawlings, produce an intricate and delicate record that for all its empty space is a comfortable and intriguing listen.

This is the type of record that you can immerse yourself in; and leave it to gently tend to the background all at once. A marvellous composition that is every part anything Welch and Rawlings have ever done, and still retains the trademark dark lyrics, but adds a new dimension with a layered roughness to the recording.

Setting the tone early with the opener Scarlet Town, a wistful social commentary on present-day America, and then followed up by the gentle Dark Turn of the Mind, full of the blues and dark tales.

The Way It Goes is a stand-out track on the album, chugging along while exploring life & death with a beautiful twist. Tennessee is a beautiful ballad, as is the equally gentle and subtle Down Along The Dixie Line.

Meanwhile Six White Horses and Hard Times change the tone, but still gloriously soulful examples of American folk music. The exploits of the subjects of the narration are as interesting as the topics themselves and listening to the album, I’m often taken away somewhere else, as if set to a side story in a chapter out of Twain.

This is a great folk-country album, containing Welch’s trademark darkness, but still manages to take the listener through a series of ballads that are gentle as they are gripping. Make no hesitation, if you have any inclination towards this genre you will be rewarded with every listen with a classic record.

GILLIAN WELCH - ACTUALLY MAKING THE ALBUM

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