The Harrow & The Harvest

Gillian Welch - The Harrow & The Harvest
Critic Score
Based on 25 reviews
2011 Ratings: #6 / 1031
Year End Rank: #44
User Score
Based on 73 ratings
2011 Rank: #113
Liked by 7 people
June 28, 2011 / Release Date
LP / Format
Acony / Label
Folk, Americana / Genre
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CRITIC REVIEWS

100
musicOMH

This is one of the most defiantly traditional, non-radical and deceptively simple albums in recent memory.

100
AllMusic

The Harrow & the Harvest is stunning for its intimacy, its lack of studio artifice, its warmth and its timeless, if hard won, songcraft.

100
Record Collector

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.

100
The Observer
At the heart of much Americana is the idea of letting it all hang out. Gillian Welch is not of a mind to let anything hang out, ever; but she and Rawlings have produced a classic of the genre.
100
The Telegraph
There cannot be another musical duet around at the moment who are able to make two acoustic guitars and two voices produce a sound that is so subtle and yet powerful.
100
The Independent
On this, Gillian Welch's fifth album, the familiar blending of traditional sounds and moods with modern sensibilities is effortlessly sustained through songs like the mordant "The Way It Goes" ("Betsy Johnson bought the farm, stuck a needle in her arm, that's the way that it goes").
100
NOW Magazine

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.

100
Mojo
Sparely and intuitively performed, it's simply excellent.
91
Billboard
Rawlings' guitar work is an engaging mix of the decorative and functional, marvelously recorded and a perfect balance to the warmth of Welch's vocals.
90
PopMatters

High lonesome harmonies, beautifully judged musicianship, exquisite songcraft, and a relationship with tradition that is both serious and playful.

90
Paste

The Harrow & The Harvest is simply one of the richest, most expansive roots albums to be released in some time.

90
No Ripcord

A fully conceived album of beautifully crafted songs, and a real treat for fans and newcomers alike.

80
Evening Standard
As a result it sounds like it could be centuries old, Welch singing of cornbread and whiskey in her hazy drawl while plucked bluegrass guitar meanders along behind her. It's as simple as music gets, and as beautiful.
80
Drowned in Sound

If the results are as finely crafted as The Harrow & The Harvest, she can take as long as she likes with the next one.

80
Q Magazine

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.

80
Uncut

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.

80
The Guardian
Welch writes fine, timeless melodies, and her mostly gloomy lyrics are performed in suitably mournful, no-nonsense style.
80
American Songwriter

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.

80
Coke Machine Glow
Its overcast may be thick like a dustbowl, but well-placed rays of light make this record an especially accomplished return.
70
Rolling Stone

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.

58
Entertainment Weekly
Welch’s bleak folk balladry dives even deeper here; dolor and pessimism prevail. She and guitarist Dave Rawlings refuse the listener any escape, any real pleasure. It’s impeccable music for masochists.
58
A.V. Club

The Harrow & The Harvest is easily her most relaxed, laid-back album yet.

50
Under the Radar
With Welch's most forgettable set of melodies and tasteful but well-trod arrangements adding up to a generally disappointing return.
werajek
77

it would have been a 78 but "Silver Dagger" took me some places I didn't want to visit

76

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.

winitheju
88

Beautiful

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Track List

  1. Scarlet Town
  2. Dark Turn Of Mind
  3. The Way It Will Be
  4. The Way It Goes
  5. Tennessee
  6. Down Along The Dixie Line
  7. Six White Horses
  8. Hard Times
  9. Silver Dagger
  10. The Way The Whole Thing Ends
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Added on: June 17, 2011