You only begin to get an idea of how seriously Gillian Welch and her
song writing partner David Rawlings take their music and its traditions
when you see them live. Everything has been meticulously planned and
practised. From the small case they carry on stage containing their
capos, picks and acoustic tuners, to the carpet they stand on whilst
playing (sound purposes), to the vintage acoustic guitars they always
use to produce their signature sound (for those who need to know, Welch
plays a 1956 Gibson J-50, and Rawlings a 1935 Epiphone Olympic
Archtop). Even internal pickups have been sacrificed for regular
microphones for the sake of sonic authenticity, which means that there
has to be a pretty quiet audience for them to be heard properly, so no
lingering near the bar.
All of which makes her new album a little more surprising. Whereas
Welch's previous work, Hell among the Yearlings, Revival and the
wonderful, Time (The Revelator), were immaculately produced, performed
and recorded, she has allowed Soul Journey to be a little rougher
around the edges. This is especially noticeable in the closing track,
Wrecking Ball, and One Monkey (apparently about Willie Nelson). Both
employ a backing band and show a bluesier side to Welch's song writing.
Also conspicuous is that David Rawlings has played less of a role
performance wise on this album. His amazing guitar solos and fills (he
surely is one of the best guitarists of his generation) appear less
throughout the record than they did on past releases, and it seems that
he spent most of his time in the producer's chair. He does contribute
quite wonderfully though, like he did on The Revelator, to I Wrote A
Lover's Prayer.
Soul Journey is still filled with the bluegrass/Appalachian sound that
Welch has been so successful with, and even helped her score a little
fame on the O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack. Themes of family and
religion again permeate the lyrics, coupled this time with images of
travel and distance. The opening track, Look At Miss Ohio suggests a
little playfulness on Welch's part this time : ' Running around with
her rag top down / Says I wanna do right / But not right now.'
Though not as strong as some of her previous work, Soul Journey is
still a fine album, and the influx of new styles and sounds are a
welcome introduction into Welch's growing repertoire, and may be better
realised in future releases. Time (The Revelator) is still her
pinnacle, but this is one artist whose output never ceases to short of
excellent. |