Soul Journey

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Product description ------------------- Brand New .co.uk ------ Blessed with a soulful and expressive voice and an innate grasp of the melodies and themes of traditional country music, Gillian Welch has made three beautiful and often brilliant albums. Yet one can make the case that she's still searching for her own true artistic voice. Soul Journey brings her ever closer to that elusive goal. After 2001's austere, solemn and at times inscrutable Time (The Revelator) ( /exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005N8CQ/%24%7B0%7D ), this follow-up finds Welch showing more warmth, ease and openness as both singer and songwriter. As the title portends, the concept of travel (physical and emotional) is a prevailing thread through these 10 tracks; she sings of rolling stones "on the road to sin", travellers on "black highways", girls "running around with the ragtop down" and "at the station rolling slow". These characters, perhaps autobiographical, are simultaneously searching for and running away from their pasts, while soft drums, fiddles, organs and Dobros add a welcome bit of lightness. With the trusty David Rawlings again at Welch's side, the songwriting and production till the earth between their old-time heroes and more modern troubadours like Townes Van Zandt ( /exec/obidos/artist-search/Townes%20Van%20Zandt/%24%7B0%7D ) and Neil Young ( /exec/obidos/artist-search/Neil%20Young/%24%7B0%7D ) (both the bucolic strummer and, on the closing "Wrecking Ball", the ragged electric wanderer). For Welch and for us, Soul Journey is yet another fascinating rest stop on the never-ending road to self-discovery. --Marc Greilsamer