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Folk, acoustic folk, singer-songwriter.

They make it look so easy, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. The pair has been writing, playing and recording together for roughly three decades, back to (and even before) Welch’s debut album, 1996’s Revival. Whether they’re releasing music under her name or his, their signature sound of lovelorn songs, intimate guitar picking and simple but lovely harmonies has earned them their spot as the best roots music act working today. Their latest album, the second (of 10 total) sharing both of their names above the title, is named after the studio they share. Woodland reflects the complicated whirl of emotions experienced by Nashvillians during the double-gutpunch of the 2020 tornado (which damaged the studio) and worldwide pandemic (which took music away from all of us).

Album opener “Empty Trainload of Sky” has Welch and Rawlings at a sort of emotional standstill in the wake of loss. Backed by acoustic guitar and Russ Pahl’s subtle pedal steel, Welch sings of life chugging by while she seems stuck – “Just a boxcar of blue/Showing daylight clear through/Just an empty trainload of sky.” Next up, “What We Had” is, in Welch/Rawlings terms, a full-blown epic, complete with strings arranged by Rawlings (who’s toyed with a fuller sound when the pair records under the Dave Rawlings Machine moniker). Rawlings takes the lead here and, even with a small orchestra in tow, it’s the most intimate emotions that are writ large in aching lines like “I used to dream of something unseen/It was something that I thought I wanted so bad/But now I only want/What we had.”

The pair’s early days as struggling musicians, before they ran a studio that has become the center of their world, comes up in “Hashtag.” Rawlings takes the lead again, in a tune inspired by touring with Guy Clark, a major influence on the duo. There are strings here, too, but the emphasis is on Rawlings’ and Welch’s harmonies as they recall lessons from their real-life mentor – “You said time makes the wheels spin/And the years roll out and the doubt rolls in.” Clark’s sense of humor is evident, too, in the fatalistic reality of a musician who will never sell out an arena – “You laughed and said the news would be bad/If I ever saw your name with a hashtag/Singers like you and I/Are only news when we die” – but keep plugging along in sake of the song.

Woodland is not an album full of guest stars – Welch and Rawlings clearly don’t need them – but Ketch Secor (Old Crow Medicine Show) grabs a fiddle for the environmental appeal, “The Day the Mississippi Died” – “Now the truth is hard to swallow it’s hard to take/But I do believe we’ve broken what we never knew could break.” But, just like their live performance, all this duo needs is themselves and their songs. Woodland wraps with three tracks populated entirely by Welch and Rawlings. “Turf the Gambler” features some of the best guitar work on the record, and “Here Stands a Woman” deals with the myriad of loss inherent in aging – “But I’m looking in the mirror/I know I’m not the same/’Cause it’s all gone babe, like the song says.” “Howdy Howdy” brings it all together – Welch on banjo, Rawlings on acoustic, bittersweet harmonies, and a little solace in companionship – “You and me are always gonna be howdy howdy/You and me always walk that lonesome valley.” Even when the songs are sad, there’s great comfort in Welch and Rawlings continuing to make music together.

Song I Can’t Wait to Hear Live: “North Country” – the other truly great guitar track on the record (and they’re all good), this one also stands out for Welch’s twinge of regret over a sometime-love – “Some long dark night you might send me a letter/Full of sleepless devilry/I’ll tell you now we could be together/If you ever get tired of being free.”

Woodland was produced by David Rawlings, engineered by Rawlings, Ken Scott and Matt Andrews, mixed by Rawlings and Andrews and mastered by Ted Jensen. All songs written by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. Musicians on the album include Welch (vocals, guitar, bass, banjo), Rawlings (vocals, guitar, organ, guitjo, harmonica, string arrangements), Brian Allen (bass), Russ Pahl (pedal steel), Chris Powell (drums), Morgan Jahnig (bass), Ketch Secor (fiddle), David Davidson, Jung-MinShin, Mary Kathryn Van Osdale, Jenny Bifano, David Angell, Wei Tsun Chang, Janet Darnell, Annaliese Kowert and Alicia Enstrom (violin), Kristin Wilkinson, Chris Farrell, Monisa Angell, Seanad Chang and Betsy Lamb (viola), Kevin Bate and Austin Hoke (cello) and Jennifer Kummer and Patrick Walle (French horn).

Tracks:
01. Empty Trainload Of Sky
02. What We Had
03. Lawman
04. The Bells And The Birds
05. North Country
06. Hashtag
07. The Day The Mississippi Died
08. Turf The Gambler
09. Here Stands A Woman
10. Howdy Howdy

Staat er compleet op, 10% pars mee gepost. Met zeer veel dank aan de originele poster. Laat af en toe eens weten wat je van het album vindt. Altijd leuk, de mening van anderen. Oh ja, MP3 doe ik niet aan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7LPhf0zk-o