Gillian (pronounced with a hard g as in gift) Welch and David Rawlings have been nurturing the legacy of the folk tradition for 30 years. Whether Welch has her name on the marquee or shares it with the Dave Rawlings Machine, it’s always been a two-hander, respecting the tradition by recording evergreen covers or writing, recording and producing original Americana. I’ve been listening to three Welch albums this week.
While a lot of Welch/Rawlings material verges on melancholia, Welch herself said in a recent interview that if people thought of their music as maudlin or pessimistic, it would be a shock to her. Rather, she considers their music to be strong and quiet with an undercurrent of perseverance. I would say that’s it. A song about the Great Depression would be more about courage than depression and sometimes, while there’s a jauntiness about the delivery or execution, the material is usually more serious, working its way into the roots tradition.
The imprint of the studio
In 2024, Welch and Rawlings released Woodland, named after their famous Nashville recording studio, which they acquired in 2001 and has had under its roof, among others, Bob Dylan to record Nashville Skyline, and Neil Young taping Comes a Time. There’s a lot of history in them walls!
Today’s song is the album’s opening track, the airy and calm Empty Trainload of Sky. It opens with a short acoustic solo guitar statement, over a guitar, bass and drums rhythm section, before Welch brings her beautiful poetry, mixing images of Americana, its railroads, trains and trestle bridges with some spiritual seeking, wondering about the devil or the lord and quoting Neil Young. She explores harmonies so close with Rawlings that they are almost imperceptible. The pedal steel of Russ Pahl is brought in to round out the bridge and the last verse.
Trainload will grow on you, loping along gently, bringing an openness and warmth which permeates the whole album. It’s a different world, this America, with songs that reference their musical past too, like Crosby’s Guinnevere – and one worthy of exploring this weekend!
Listen to Empty Trainload of Sky on Spotify here and on Apple Music here.
I started a music WhatsApp group in 2023. I send one song a week on a Friday, with links to both Apple and Spotify, and an accompanying narrative/capsule piece. If you want to engage about a song, get a playlist or just get in touch, email me on markgrosin@gmail.com.
For more of Mark’s memorable track selections, go here.
