Although Gillian Welch was born in New York, brought up in Los Angeles (hot and sunny every day!) and resident in Nashville, she gives the impression that she has Cumberland blood coursing through her veins. Welch, along with long-time partner David Rawlings, is without doubt the most authentic voice of bluegrass/country around today.
Accolades from such luminaries as country superstar Emmylou Harris, US producer T-Bone Burnett (producer of her first two albums) and Bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley are mounting by the day. Burnett describes the first time he saw Welch play, at the Nashville Station Inn, “ …it was like she’d gone into her great uncle’s attic and found a box of songs, beautiful songs, that were written in the ‘30’s.” Of course, the songs were hers, and Rawlings, own.
“Soul Journey” is Welch’s fourth album in the last seven years, and fans won’t be disappointed. Using a band for the first time since her Grammy nominated debut 1996 album “Revival”, Welch is in astounding form. The record also, for the first time, has Gillian playing on some of the tracks without Rawlings. The solo tracks were initially intended to be demo’s only, recorded in their living room, until Rawlings convinced Gillian they were good enough to be released.
The album kicks off with the stunning plaintive ballad “Look At Miss Ohio”. The country slide guitar seems to melt into your consciousness the more you here it. Welch’s delivery is, at the same time, both strong and fragile. This is quickly followed by a solo version of the traditional blues, “Make Me a Pallet On Your Floor”. First recorded in the 1920’s by Mississippi John Hurt, this traditional song still has great relevance today. As Gillian herself said recently, “Listen to the song and it makes you think. I mean, don’t you ever fuck up, discover you have no place to crash, then find you have to go visit a friend somewhat shamefully and say, “Hey man, can I sleep on your floor?” When she breathes the line, “ No one ever had the blues like me”, man, you really believe her.
The third track, “Wayside/Back In Time”, sees the band introduced to the proceedings. Like the band she used for “Revival”, Gillian has gone for top grade session men. While back then she employed such legends as drummer Jim Keltner (Dylan, Lennon, B.B. King) and guitarist James Burton (Elvis, Sinatra, Emmylou), this time on board is Texan troubadour Mark Ambrose with one time Son Volt bassist Jim Boquist. Also involved is fiddle player Ketcham Secor, from Old Crow Medicine Show, and retained from the first album is dobro player Greg Leisz, who has in the past supported Joni Mitchell, Lucinda Williams and Beck amongst others. The band adds another dimension to Gillian’s music. The laid back playing is reminiscent of the monumental “Basement Tapes”, recorded by Bob Dylan and The Band in 1967.
“I Had A Real Good Mother And Father” shows Gillian at her most vulnerable. With her voice almost trembling, her delivery takes this traditional song to new heights. Unbelievably, this track was recorded as a microphone test. “One Monkey” is the fifth song on this wondrous “Soul Journey”. With the refrain of “One monkey don’t stop the show…” sung throughout, the atmosphere of the song retains haunts of Scarlet Rivera.
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Although “Soul Journey” contains some extremely stark moments, there seems to be an altogether more upbeat feel about Gillian’s new work. “No One Knows My Name” is a perfect example of this. Although her autobiographical lyrical content is at times heart wrenching, “It’s a wonder I’m in this world at all…” and “Ain’t one soul in the world knows my name” being two examples, Secor’s fiddle playing harks back to the old time country playing of The Delmore Brothers. You just can’t help but smile.
“Lowlands” has a lovely feel to it. A sensational bass line coupled with a lovely Hammond, backs Welch’s pleading for a new start somewhere else, “I’ve been in the Lowlands too long…” “One Little Song” is the one song on the album that retains the sound and atmosphere of Gillian’s first album “Revival”. Again Welch is solo here on this, a beautiful little ballad that reminds us just how tender and evocative her music can be.
Dylanesque harmonica introduces the penultimate track “I Made A Lover’s Prayer”, Rawlings distinctive guitar flows all over this. Similar in feel to “Revelator” from the third album “Time (The Revelator)”, this is one of those songs that you want to just drift on forever.
Just as we feel it can’t get any better, Gillian and the band hit us with the final track, “Wrecking Ball”. The song was, apparently, recorded without the band knowing the tape was running. This “jam” was the first time they had all actually played the song together, and it works wonderfully. Loose, frayed around the edges, the song gracefully twists along its path of glory, with Gillian lyrically improvising, she recalls her past,” I was just a little ‘Deadhead, Too much trouble for me to share.” Absolutely stunning.
It’s been reported that these ten songs were taken from a batch of about 100 home recordings made by Welch and Rawlings over a two-day period. If so, we should be in for a real treat over the next year, as Ms. Welch has promised to release more of those tracks within the year. Take no notice of other music journalists harping on about “Soul Journey” not being as good as its predecessor, the 2001 release “Time (The Revelator). Bollocks! This collection of intimate, personal and, at times, incredibly joyous songs, deserves a place in any serious music lover’s collection. Highly recommended.
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