Hell Among the Yearlings

by

Gillian Welch

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I saw Gillian Welch & David Rawlings a month ago at the Fillmore in San Francisco. At the time, I'd purchased the "O'Brother" soundtrack, and "Revelator" cause I liked her voice so darn much from that Cohen Bro's film sndtrk. So I go over to the merch booth, look for a tee, dissapointingly don't see any, but there, lying on the table in front of me is the "holy trilogy", if you will.

I only had enough to buy one cd. Out of complete random choosing, I picked up "Hell Among the Yearlings".

And here I am, having this cd for the little while that was, and it is absolutely one of my favorite albums of all time. Whereas, I can honestly say, "Revival" and "Revelator" both have a few much stronger individual songs, this album can be heard front to back without missing a beat. It is a complete sonic experience within itself.

Unlike her other two albums, Welch opens this masterpiece with the heavy hitting "Caleb Meyer", a tale of rape and revenge that immediately lays the foundation for the rest of the raw, dark Appalachian-inspired world Welch creates with every new track. Understated and appropriate storytelling flow evenly, emotionally and musically, through tracks like "The Devil Had a Hold of Me" - evoking the spirit of Robert Johnson, "Rock of Ages", and "Honey Now" - the entirely too short "electric" showcase of the album. And possibly the only song where the focus is not as strongly aimed towards Welch's lyrics as much as it is the music.

I keep finding myself unable to concentrate on other things whilst listening, which, to me, means this is NOT backround music, nor a happy cd to tap your feet to. Almost grabs you by the gullet, and doesn't take the grip off 'till its good and ready to let you go.

So what else is there... yes, Dave Rawlings, what a graceful lead guitar/harmony vocals compliment to Welch's grit. Gillian also rocks out with her banjo most on this album (so if you're a big fan of "My First Lover" you'll get a huge kick out of this cd!). Again, if you enjoy Robert Johnson-esque material, this is one is a keeper. If you're lookin' for the happy Christian music found in "Revival", you're looking in the wrong place.

So if you're ready to take upon you the middle child of Welch's albums, allocating the nice with the not-so-nice, then this is what you're looking for. Either way, go check her out now. She's on tour for "Revelator", and what a lovely experience that show was.

This is a good album that should have been better. Those who like music with a back-porch flavor - and who aren't afraid of music that explores the dark side of life - will find a lot to like here, but I thought there were too many times where the songs needed an accent and push that the sparse instrumentation just didn't provide.

With one exception - "Honey Now" - the only instruments are Welch's accoustic guitar (or banjo on some songs) and the guitar of collaborator David Rawlings. So it is perhaps significant that I think "Honey Now" - augmented with bass, snare drum, and electric guitar - is the album's best song. Welch's mournful twang is perfect for this material, but the addition of drums, base, and perhaps a dobro or pedal steel (Greg Leisz comes to mind) would have given the songs a bit more color and movement. Too many times I found myself waiting for an accent or fill that never came. I regard this as a failure of production rather than performance, and can still recommend the album to those for whom stark simplicity is a musical virtue rather than a drawback.