Revival

 (93 customer reviews)

I first saw this cd just a few days after it was released in 1996 -- the cover caught my eye and I took it into a listening booth to give it some attention, away from the cacaphony of the store sound system, which at the moment, I think, was churning out Nirvana. When I closed the door and started the disc, everything outside went away -- it had been a long time since I had discovered someone who was as talented and captivating in style as the music on this cd revealed.Gillian Welch is not from Appalachia -- but you couldn't prove it by me that day. It was only later that I discovered this fact. Her style of songwriting, singing and playing never EVER comes across as false or contrived -- her heartfelt love of this music brings an honesty to it that is rare and refreshing in these times. The combination of her songs and voice with the stunning abilities and sensitivity of David Rawlings (who co-wrote many of these songs) makes listening to this music a powerful, transporting...Read more

Simply put: You will not tire of this album. The music is anything but repetitive, and each song touches the listener in a different way. The more you hear of Welch and David Rawlings the more you appreciate their fine and carefully crafted work.Much is made about the fact that a girl from Los Angeles has such a feel for this type of music. I believe Welch's background actually gives her music an appeal beyond bluegrass and country. Yes, it's true that you can't get any more mountain-like than "Tear my Stillhouse Down", and the beautiful "By the Mark" is too deeply religious to make any big city album. But Welch's very best on this album appeals to the sensibilities of both city and country folk: The opening track "Orphan Girl" touches the loneliness in all of us and the hope of reunion; and the painfully sad "Barroom Girls" probably fits better in L.A. than Knoxville.I'm hoping that Welch stays true to this type of music. Her popularity is exploding as a result of "O Brother,...Read more

Gillian Welch's "Revival" is the sort of album that you wish everyone--and no one--knew about. With songs of poignant clarity, vignettes that reveal neither too little nor too much, and a voice that knows how much each song needs and stops there, rather than pushing too far and spoiling the lyrics to showcase the artist, this is an album that deserves more attention than it has received--and yet, it is one where you can revel in its relative obscurity, as if you and Gillian were sharing an intimate secret, telling tales on the porch in old rocking chairs. "Revival" puts Gillian Welch in the class of such artists as Emmylou Harris and Over the Rhine's Karin Bergquist--singers who have, not coincidentally, both covered the opening track, "Orphan Girl." This is an album that should claim a special nook in your CD collection.