Time (The Revelator)

After taking a few weeks off to deal with my music ADD, I am trying to reboot and start fresh.  I have ninety albums left to here, so I need to renew my focus.  Today’s entry focuses on a great record from folk/Americana music, Time (The Revelator) by Gillian Welch.  Gillian Welch herself has been a prominent figure in the genre for years for her own recordings as well as guest appearances on other artists’ recordings.

Welch was adopted by musical parents at a young age in New York City and later moved with them to Los Angeles (where they wrote music for The Carol Burnett Show).  From them she was exposed to all types of music, including the works of Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, and country music greats the Carter Family.  She excelled in many things she did, including learning musical instruments and singing.  She graduated from UC-Santa Cruz with a degree in photography but wanted to further pursue a career in music, so she attended the prestigious Berklee College of Music, majoring in songwriting.  It was there that she met her longtime collaborator and friend, David Rawlings.

Together, Welch and Rawlings have released five well-received albums.  They have been produced by acclaimed producer T-Bone Burnett (if you recall, Burnett also produced another record that I have reviewed, Raising Sand, with Robert Plant and Welch’s friend Alison Krauss), and have recorded most of their material in Nashville.  Their third album, Time (The Revelator), was released in 2001 and is the subject of this entry.

# 107 – Gillian Welch, Time (The Revelator) (Metascore = 86)

The beauty of this record for me is the mix of classic folk and Americana music with modern lyrics and touches.  Opening track “The Revelator” is a perfect example of the former.  The song rolls along like a Hank Williams, Sr. ballad, with its dark Western lyrics and somber sound.  The drifter goes from town to town, cast out each time by its inhabitants.  Only time could possibly save this person’s soul.  In fact, this theme of time being the revelator resonates throughout the record, a characteristic that gives this album strength.  The subjects change, and modern touches such as those on “Elvis Presley Blues” or “I Want to Sing That Rock and Roll” show that folk music does not always have to be rehashes of Woody Guthrie’s music.  Bob Dylan has shown this time and again, and Welch and Rawlings further prove this.

Two other characteristics that really strengthen the album are the vocal and musical interplay between Welch and Rawlings.  They are the only two players on the record, but their sound is so powerful that one can’t help but be attracted to the music’s pull.  Having worked together for nearly a decade at this point, the pair is very aware of how the other sings or plays; they sound perfectly in sync, and the richness of their harmonies gives this record a shine that most other records cannot even begin to duplicate.

Welch’s plaintive vocals and storytelling give this record the plaudits it has received.  Critics praised these characteristics for embracing the sounds she began with in Revival (1996) and Hell Among the Yearlings (1998) to create a record that is both rustic and modern at the same time.  Every listen I find myself more attracted to its sounds and depth.  I also appreciate why numerous artists have utilized her vocal talents to enhance their records.