If you’re a fan of genuine mountain music, this is an album you want to pick up right away. I will be up front with this assessment; if you’re looking for studio polish and unrealistic sounds, this is not for you. This is for people who crave authentic mountain music with guitars, banjos, fiddles, old time instruments, and voices that sound as old as the mountains themselves. When I first heard the submission for this album, I said it sounded like “home.” As a child of the Pennsylvania Appalachian foothills with miners, farmers, and mill workers on both sides of my family, this sounds like home.
“Cagebird” highlights classic instrumentation and a melody line that feels like sacred music. The imagery is about the mountain, the grass, and the ancestors who shape the people we are today. It feels timeless and is a great way to start the album. “Shady Grove,” a rewrite of a traditional tune, follows with cool strumming and a plucked banjo that carries the listener into another timeless melody. The vocal has the resonance of a longtime storyteller. If you’ve ever sat at the feet of a pap or other old timer, listening to a story, this song will resonate. It’s the story of someone’s long journey home. One can picture old soldiers or travelers of all stripes singing this song walking down dirt roads.
“Golden Field” has one of my favorite melodies on the whole album. There’s a chill energy to the style that pulls the listener in right away. Something about the sparing production makes it work well. The two voices separate are fine, but once the whole group joins in on the harmonies it really feels like sitting on the front porch with family singing. I once wrote a poem about my family as an oak tree and honestly this song captures that sentiment beautifully. It’s a gem on this album.
The following track “Hunter” has an interesting condemning style to it. It’s ultimately about setting yourself free of your critics. “Pearl” has a soft, engaging guitar part to it. It’s similar to some of the other songs on the album with a bit more of a contemporary flavor. “Goddess in Disguise” has that minor key element to it that puts me in mind of timeless mountain songwriting, like the opener. There’s a lonesomeness in the vocal and lyrics that definitely makes it fit.
All told, this is an interesting album with a timeless quality to it. It might not be the polished sound that comes from big time studios in Nashville or Austin, but it shows the roots of the music we all love. If you’re a fan of the real roots of country and Americana music, this album is for you.
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