SOUL JOURNEY
Gillian Welch
RELEASE DATE: June 3rd, 2003
LABEL: Acony
GENRES: Americana, Contemporary Folk, Alt-Country
When I was a kid I thought this was so insufferably boring. My parents are HUGE Gillian Welch fans (my dad even got to see her in a tiny venue before she got popular), so we would listen to her, Damien Jurado, the Avett Brothers, etc. on roadtrips and I would always beg them to put something else on. In spite of my younger self's convictions, over time, her music and this album in particular have grown to have this mysterious magical quality that nearly nothing else I've ever heard has.
This album is much more upbeat than Welch's previous three albums, having more of a rock arrangement in half the tracks, but is still so comfortingly slow and mellow. Her voice is of course amazing and stands very well on its own, but something I wish this album had more of is the sweet vocal harmonies with David Rawlings. He still brings it on his weird little guitar, though!
"Wayside / Back in Time" and "Look at Miss Ohio" were the first two songs from this album that I really liked (being my parents' favorites, so I heard them the most), and I still adore them. "Wayside" in particular stands next to Songs: Ohia's "Farewell Transmission" for me.
There are three traditional tunes which are a bit of a mixed bag. "Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor" and "I Had a Real Good Mother and Father" are great renditions (I love the way she sings, "no one's ever had the blues like me"), but "One Monkey" is a total slog. It's put in the best place it could be but still ruins the flow of the album. Also worth mentioning are "No One Knows My Name" and "Lowlands", two fantastic songs that both borrow the melody from "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain".
"Wrecking Ball" is the lyrical and vocal standout of the album and a remarkable closer. Electric guitar definitely isn't for every Gillian Welch song, but it adds so much to this one. I wish she would do more almost rock songs like this one. Her slow vocal style creates a very unique feeling.
This album has basically everything good country should have.
(P.S. A bluegrass banjo player came into my grade 11 guitar class and we talked for a little and I mentioned Gillian Welch and he showed me his Soul Journey tattoo. The jazz band director also likes her. You know it's good when musicians like it.)
FAVOURITE TRACKS: Wayside / Back in Time, Wrecking Ball, Look at Miss Ohio
LEAST FAVOURITE TRACKS: One Monkey