Albums by this artist

Time (The Revelator) (2001)

Concerts

June 24, 2002
The Crystal Ballroom, Portland, Ore.

Gillian Welch

Time (The Revelator)

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» LILY KANE | STAFF WRITER

Gillian Welch Time (The Revelator) Acony, 2001 RiYL: Alison Krauss, Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams

It's a weird world we live in where the two scene-stealers at the 2002 Grammys are Ralph Stanley and U2's Bono. Still, I must admit that I get a kick out of watching America struggle to embrace this new genre of country that they've deemed exceedingly more acceptable than, say, Garth Brooks live in Central Park. It's no mystery, of course, as Garth is just formulaic, radio-friendly country, while the folks who created the overwhelmingly popular "O Brother, Where Art Thou" soundtrack have a raw, pure delivery, more from the heart and head than from Studio B on Music Row.

This is precisely what makes Gillian Welch so palatable -- er, I mean, great -- to an audience weaned on the notion that country is trashy and cheap. Welch's music is spare, smart and haunting, and, most importantly, supported by her own stellar musicianship as well as that of her partner David Rawlings. Their immense love for the kind of music that they're recreating for the new millennium bleeds through their performances and lends the power of country's rich history to their sound.

People yammer on about their music being a "timewarp," but really it's an homage to, and a reworking of, the bluegrass tradition. There's no time to warp to, really, as bluegrass never ended in the hollers and on the porches and at the state fairs. It's just that most people weren't paying attention. It's to Welch's credit that she made people stop and listen, and the amount of people listening happened to help Stanley receive a long overdue Grammy.

Welch's vocals are at times fraught with yearning, and at times so confrontational that you leap to turn down the volume. It is suitable for in-store play? Not really. It's a challenging format, and this is part of what makes her performance great. I could listen to the title track from Time a hundred million times and the piercing ache of her delivery would never cease to affect me.

Yet, the timbre of her voice on other songs is almost abrasive, and reveals an immense darkness beneath the surface. Bluegrass, of course, is a dark genre, never afraid to tackle the tough subjects -- like jilted, murderous lovers or drowned babies. It's the acceptance of this darkness that makes me love Welch all the more, but makes her popularity even more enigmatic. Of course, she can sell oodles of records and we're still hearing Alan Jackson on country radio, so none of it makes any sense. But at least that isn't deterring musicians like Welch from continuing to hold the torch.

LILY KANE |