Exquisite, folk and country about turbulence and resilience by the singer-songwriter couple, with an album named after their Nashville studio wrecked by a tornado in March 2020, and their first release together for 13 years. Right from opener Empty Trainload of Sky these delicate, sensitive, vividly poetic songs touch on the personal and the universal, with nods to classic folk, blues and bluegrass standards too and a perfect strolling pace. The Day the Mississippi Died is a lament to the current state of the Union. Hashtag is a tribute to old friend and musician Guy Clark, who died in 2016, with the telling lyrics “You laughed and said the news would be bad/ If I ever saw your name with a hashtag,” sings Rawlings, “Singers like you and I/ Are only news when we die.” Kensington perhaps refers to the Philadelphia neighbourhood hit by the opioid crisis. What We Had trades couplets and ponders on a changing relationship, while Here Stands A Woman looks at the ageing process. But through all the turmoil and upheaval there’s the beautifully crafted music, particuiclarly Welch’s voice and Rawlings’ playing, and an uplifting, bittersweet finale with Howdy Howdy, acknowledging their continued, enduring relationship. Out on Acony Records.
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