Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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63 of 65 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The fourth stop on Welch's musical Journey!, June 3, 2003
There's something about Gillian Welch's music that is enough to make any listener believe that she is a walking anachronism. Her low, haunting vocals, combined with acoustic, traditionally styled songs create music that sounds as if it came right out of the era when the recordings of Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family gave birth to country music over seventy years ago. In short, from her lyrics to instrumentation to appearance, Welch seems decidedly out of place in a culture where the very mention of country music conjures up images of Faith Hill and a skankily clad Shania Twain. Despite the fact that she is one of the most underrated musicians in the music world, Welch, along with her musical partner David Rawlings, is apt at producing music that consistently wow her fan base.Thus, it is no surprise that Soul Journey, Welch's fourth album, is no exception to this rule. The follow up to 2001's critically acclaimed Time (The Revelator), Welch once again delivers a collection of beautiful original songs sure to impress any listener of great folk music. While it fails to match the diversity and overall quality of Revelator, Soul Journey makes for a stunning album and excellent continuation of the style she has established over the last several years. Tracks such as the bluesy "Look At Miss Ohio" and "I Had A Real Good Mother and Father," with its soaring vocals as the prominent focus of the song, seem to echo the finest moments of Revival, Welch's debut album, while "One Little Song" and "Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor" conjure up thoughts of "Dear Someone" and "Everything Is Free" from her preceding release. While the album includes far more production (namely, the frequent use of drums) than her previous records, it does not overtake or drastically alter the sound, and in fact adds a folk/rock flavor to tracks such as "Wrecking Ball" (not to be confused with the title track of Emmylou Harris's 1995 album-this one is a Welch/Rawlings original). While the entire album, from lyrics to arrangements to music, is the product of Welch and Rawlings' own creativity, the echoes of Welch's greatest musical influences cannot be hidden. Tracks such as "Lowlands" are reminiscent of songs by Neil Young and other musical geniuses of the early to mid-'70s and "Wayside" could easily be covered by Nanci Griffith with little differences between the two recordings. Most obviously, "No One Knows My Name" is strikingly Carter-esque, the tune even being an exact copy to the note of "Motherless Children," one of country music's first family's classic songs. Whether one is a fan of traditional country, contemporary folk music, or beautifully crafted lyrics and songs, Soul Journey is a must for any CD collection. In the album's first track, Welch sings, "Oh, me oh my-oh-look at Miss Ohio." Look at Gillian Welch. This album, just like her previous three, is going to go far.
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56 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
so much more than One little song, June 9, 2003
...Gillian Welch has provided, with this, her fourth album, proof that she's not just a flash in the Americana pan. She's a talented, creative artist who has (thankfully) found a way to release her product on her own label, thereby controlling more aspects of the process than many artists are lucky enough to enjoy. Unfettered by the `do this - do that' voices in a corporate office, she and her songwriting/performing partner David Rawlings can see their vision placed into the hands of their fans untouched by the forces of corporate greed. And that's a real good thing. The duo's listeners have been able to see the songwriting talents at work in their recordings expand and mature over the course of their four releases - there are songs here that stand up to the best work on her astonishing debut album, REVIVAL, as well as the high points that can be heard on HELL AMONG THE YEARLINGS and TIME (THE REVELATOR).The arrangements on these tracks are mostly simple - but don't make the mistake of reading `simple' as `empty' or `unimaginative'. Welch's voice and words are framed perfectly by her guitar and occasional, gentle banjo work - and as listeners have come to expect and appreciate, David Rawlings' accompaniment couldn't be more apt. If you've ever had the pleasure of seeing these two perform live, I'm sure one of the first things you noticed was how much in tandem they work - they're joined so closely in spirit that they accompany and play off each other without even looking, like four hands controlled by the same mind. This intermingling of talents translates nicely into their studio recordings as well - there's not a single note out of place or superfluous here. Each song is arranged to suit its lyrics and mood and emotion - nothing comes across as being added just because it was available. `Miss Ohio' starts out the album in fine fashion with a theme explored by Welch in the past - the dichotomy that lives within all of us: knowing what is `right', what is `expected' of us, and at the same time giving in to the yearning inside of us to try something different, to `live out that fantasy' as the lyrics say. Take chances: "Oh, me-oh-my-oh, would you look at Miss Ohio - she's a-runnin' around with the ragtop down. She says "I wanna do right, but not right now"'. Welch repeats this phrase several times in the song, driving home the point. `Wayside/Back in time' is a look back at the speaker's life - again, questions about `what could I have done different?' and `what would have happened if I...?', things we all ask ourselves from time to time. `Make me a pallet on your floor' and `I had a real good mother and father' are a couple of traditional tunes given very effective performances here - and Welch has personalized them a bit with the addition of some added original lyrics (the latter song being especially heartfelt, I thought). When I read the review of this album in ROLLING STONE (they only gave it two stars - go figure), I noticed a comment about the `bluegrass arrangements' on some tunes. I suppose the reviewer was referring to `No one knows my name' - but the presence of a banjo and a fiddle doesn't make a song bluegrass. The song contains another reference to parents - combined with Welch's references to hindsight and rebellion, there's an air of personal nostalgia to some of the recording, but it never gets maudlin. The honesty in her lyrics and in her voice keeps it vital. The masterpiece on this album - for me, at least - is `One little song'. It's a deceptively simple tune, a hauntingly beautiful melody, accompanied only by Gillian's gently-picked guitar - but the lyrics are some of the best I've ever heard addressing the ache in the heart of the songwriter: `There's gotta be a song left to sing, cause everybody can't've thought of everything...' For me, this song stands head and shoulders with `Orphan girl' and `Acony bell' on REVIVAL - it's destined to become a classic in her repertoire, sure to elicit a great response from her listeners. `I made a lover's prayer' is likewise perfect - and the album ends with an upswing of energy in the last song, `Wrecking ball'. This final song, as well as `Miss Ohio', and, to some extent, `Wayside/Back in time' and `One monkey', show a bit of Gillian's more forceful side - but none of them are over-done. The gentle songs are exceptional - the production values held and applied by Rawlings here are excellent, giving each track an up-close, intimate feel. It's almost as if Gillian and David were sitting in your living room, playing just for you. Everything here is just as it should be - and aren't we the lucky ones for that...?
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love makes us into madmen, October 8, 2003
By A Customer
I'm a very sensible guy. I love my wife, I love my children, I do my work, I pay my mortgage etc. However for the last few years I have been having a secret affair with Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings and their art, an affair of the heart. I'm simply in love with the sounds they make. Because I am in love the fact that I think Soul Journey is the fourth perfect CD that they have released may not mean much to you. You are free to dismiss such claims as the ranting of a madman, a man driven mad by love. But if you are curious about what sounds could inspire such passion in an otherwise calm and collected soul.... Soul Journey or any of the others are fine places to start. If I had to pick, I'd say in general that Soul Journey is their best CD yet. Something tells me the one to follow will be their best ever too. They just keep getting darker and brighter, closer to the bone and closer to the light.
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