Time The Revelator

This is a gorgeous album. Like many people, I first learned about Welch & Rawlings through their work on "O Brother Where Art Thou" and "Down by the Mountain." Despite having little previous interest in bluegrass, I was instantly hooked. I finished collecting their albums this year, and was delighted to find out that "Time (The Revelator)" was the best of a very good body of work.I'm especially fond of the eerie title track, "Revelator," a contemplation of Welch's own success. The songwriter successfully walks a fine line between invective and self-pity, and her refrain -- "Time's the revelator" -- is at once fierce yet chilling. Rawlings's guitar accompaniment is equally fantastic; he's an astonishing musician. Together, they make the song into a small masterpiece.(Incidentally, I saw the two of them play this at a venue in Atlanta several months ago. When they got to a particular four-letter word towards the end of the song, the seemingly grave audience cheered with delight).Other highlights:The sweetly seductive "Elvis Presley Blues" will get to you even if you've never cared for Elvis. It seems like pure heartland at first, but has a touch of Lou Reed-like suggestiveness."I Want to Sing That Rock And Roll" was the first Welch/Rawlings tune I ever loved, and it's still a good one. Like other reviewers, I wish they had re-recorded the track for this album; the ovation at the end is a little disconcerting."My First Lover" is the album's most leisurely and enjoyable song; thudding power chords recall a lazy, stupefying roll in the hay."I Dream a Highway" is the album's other masterpiece, a 14 minute ballad with a narcotic, haunting intensity. Despite its length and repetitive melody, it never gets boring; instead, it invokes an eternal road trip through loneliness and revelation. It's a great song -- the thrillingly slow finish to a marvelous album.

Gillian and partner David Rawlings take some risks with "Time (The Revelator)" and succeed by keeping things fresh while maintaining their sound. "April The 14th" is divided into two parts with two songs separating them, the second titled "Ruination Day" and the whole song is a rumination on the assassination of Lincoln, the Titanic and the fate of the 'Okies' among other things. And then there's "I Dream A Highway" but more about that later. The title track goes down easy with lovely picking by Rawlings and the pair's seemingly effortless natural harmonies. The song builds nicely with intertwined guitars. "My First Lover" is a bittersweet reminiscence enhanced with a reference to an old Steve Miller song. "Dear Someone" is a dreamy bluesy waltz. Gillian and David's ability to infuse a depressing lyric about being poor with a jaunty upbeat melody is wonderful and rich in irony. "I Want To Sing That Rock And Roll" is a joyous live track that's infectious as hell. The next song, "Elvis Presley Blues" is one of my favorites here with a splendid melody and heartfelt lyrics. These blues make me feel good. I like the comparison of Elvis to a chorus girl and a Harlem queen- an interesting take on the King. The woes and hopes of the worker are explored on the understated and haunting "Everything Is Free".The album closes with the epic (in length and thematic scope)"I Dream A Highway". A sort of opposite of Dylan's "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" or "Desolation Row" in that it's more hopeful and the narrator of this song is more confident than Dylan's dazed and confused suitor though there are subtle similarities in both songs. "I Dream A Highway" is the perfect final track, leading you gently out of Gillian and David's world. For now. I consider this album and "Hell Among The Yearlings" to be their masterpieces.

This is the first "review" I've ever written. It was inspired not only by this CD, but by the pleasure of hearing Gillian and David at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco last weekend, and again in Paradise, California two days later.In an era when so many of the voices we need in society -- literature, philosophy, film, classical music, jazz, rock -- are losing their impact and even dying out, leaving us with empty slogans and no direction, it is more important than ever to praise and support the few great artists still working. Gillian and David are two of those artists, certainly. Their songs are moving, visionary, ironic, sensual and tender. In person, the humor implicit in the material comes out even more strongly. I get the impression that these two people are intelligent enough to do anything they want to in life. We should thank them, over and over again, that they have chosen to make music. "Time (The Revelator)" is, melodically and musically, one of the great songs in all "popular" music, as is "I Dream a Highway." But why highlight just a few? Gillian and David have found truth and light in a time of darkness. I love them for it.By the way, I am going to share a small secret with you: Don't let the album covers mislead. Gillian Welch is one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. She may be sardonic, but she is also radiant.