THIS is Gillian Welch’s first album of original material since 2011’s The Harrow and The Harvest. Produced by, and including, her musical partner, the guitarist David Rawlings, this is the second record released under both their names.
Welch is one of the unsung heroes of country and Americana, perhaps because her material can sometimes be seen as bleak and stark. She has covered topics such as the death of a rapist, the Titanic disaster, morphine addicts, and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
Her faith runs like a thread through her work. “Red Clay Halo”, from her album Time (The Revelator), puts a spin on the traditional view of the afterlife: “But when I pass through the pearly gates Will my gown be gold instead? Or just a red clay robe with red clay wings And a red clay halo for my head?”
On “Orphan Girl”, from Revival, she prays for divine companionship to compensate for her solitude: “Blessed Savior make me willing And walk beside me until I’m with them Be my mother my father My sister my brother I am an orphan girl.”
On “Tennessee”, from The Harrow and The Harvest, she acknowledges the pull of desire: “I try to be a good girl It’s only what I want that makes me weak I had no desire to be a child of sin Then you went and pressed your whiskers to my cheek.”
Revival and Time (The Revelator), her debut and third albums respectively, were nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album in 1997 and 2002. She came second to Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan respectively, which shows you just how good they were. She finally won the award in 2021 with All the Good Times (Are Past & Gone), a record of covers and rearranged traditional folk songs.
Woodland, named after her studio in Nashville, also won the 2025 award, making Welch and Rawlings the only duo to win this more than once. It’s a record of reminiscences (“What We Had”), independence (“Here Stands A Woman”), and
deep relationships (“Howdy Howdy”).
There is recognition of spiritual realities: “And the preacher’s gonna preach from the bible Devil’s gonna laugh at what he said Gambler gonna lay down his last gold dollar Shadows gonna creep from the farmer’s shed” (“Lawman”).
The duo pay tribute to the country legend Guy Clark, who died in 2016: “You laughed and said the news would be bad If I ever saw your name with a hashtag Singers like you and I Are only news when we die (“Hashtag”).
This is a fine collection of songs, demonstrating the maturity of an artist at the peak of her powers.
Woodland is released on the Acony Records label.