This is one of the most defiantly traditional, non-radical and deceptively simple albums in recent memory.
The Harrow & the Harvest is stunning for its intimacy, its lack of studio artifice, its warmth and its timeless, if hard won, songcraft.
The way Welch and Rawlings have assimilated the old songs and embody classic ballad singing, you’d think the material was written back in the 30s. The only giveaway is a lack of surface scratches. There’s no need to highlight any song, each one is equally exquisite.
The choruses are stronger, the harmonies, guitar and banjo lines as tasteful as ever, and the brittle edge that crept into 2003's Soul Journey is nowhere to be found.
High lonesome harmonies, beautifully judged musicianship, exquisite songcraft, and a relationship with tradition that is both serious and playful.
The Harrow & The Harvest is simply one of the richest, most expansive roots albums to be released in some time.
A fully conceived album of beautifully crafted songs, and a real treat for fans and newcomers alike.
If the results are as finely crafted as The Harrow & The Harvest, she can take as long as she likes with the next one.
As a whole, The Harrow and the Harvest maintains a singular mood and sense of atmosphere -- its terrain, musically and emotionally, is stark and bleak but beautiful.
The Harrow and the Harvest is kin to not dissimilar works by Uncle Earl, Crooked Still, Kate Fagan, even Steve Earle's rumbustious bluegrass outing with Del McCoury--and blessed by the insuperable advantage of Welch's voice.
It's a rich portrait, full of unexpected imagery and odd turns of phrase, which means that even though Welch has sung about drunks and prodigals so many times in the past, the songs on The Harrow & The Harvest sound both pleasingly familiar and starkly new.
The themes are often bleak: "Some girls are blessed with a dark turn of mind," Welch sings at one point, probably with a wink. But there's a light that never goes out on The Harrow & the Harvest.
The Harrow & The Harvest is easily her most relaxed, laid-back album yet.
I really liked Welch's somber tone and lyrics in this album. The instrumentals are pretty calming and the Appalachian style is entertaining. There are some moments where I think this album could benefit from some more versatility in the instrumentals, but it is still solid.
#2 | / | American Songwriter |
#2 | / | Uncut |
#9 | / | PopMatters |
#21 | / | The Guardian |
#27 | / | Pazz and Jop |
#28 | / | Q Magazine |
#34 | / | MOJO |
#39 | / | Paste |
#47 | / | musicOMH |
#47 | / | SPIN |