Time (The Revelator)

I liked it! Nice vocal harmonies and cool chords. Pleasant voice.

A very nice listen this morning

It’s not often I’m in a mood for a low key album like this. I thought today might be that day, but it wasn’t. No questioning Gillian Welch’s talent or heart but, like her, I wish she would “sing that Rock and Roll.”

I don’t listen to a lot of country so I was glad to be exposed to this. I enjoyed it.

I found this album to be quite pretty. I'm usually not a fan of country, but this was a bit more on the folk side of the genre. The lyrics were beautiful, as was Gillian Welch's voice. I really enjoyed the simplicity of the acoustic guitar and vocals working in tandem. This was a very pleasant album, and dare I say it was the best country album I have heard on this generator so far.

difficult folk

Не мой стиль, как-то медленно очень, но если на фоне, то голос приятный.

Dear Someone Red Clay Halo (this song has a country twang) Elvis Presley Blues She sings on the 'O Brother Where Art Thou' soundtrack (including the Sirens song 'Didn't Leave Nobody But The Baby'

PRE-LISTEN: Heard her name quite a bit - she and Dave Rawlings play here pretty often - but have never explored her catalog. Let's see how it goes. I predict I will like it. WHILE LISTENING: My prediction was correct! I went to her Wikipedia page because her accent made me curious where she was from. I was caught quite off-guard by the "Early Life" section.

Definitely at times veered too country for me. The lyricism was great, the vocals solid, acoustic guitar is always great, and even some solid guitar solos in there. Overall, there's definitely a few tunes I could see listening to again, but as an album? I'd rather not.

3⭐️/5 [05.27.2025] 01.08.2026

Gillian Welch’s Time (The Revelator) earns a respectable but underwhelming ☆☆½, offering a collection of old-school folk songs that are skillfully crafted yet often drift into the realm of the monotonous. Welch’s stripped-down aesthetic and plaintive vocals aim for timelessness, but the album too frequently feels static. There are glimmers of life—“My First Lover” and “Red Clay Hero” both feature some lively banjo work that briefly lifts the mood—but even these can’t fully shake the album’s overall somber haze. “I Want to Sing That Rock and Roll” stands out, if only for being the gentlest ode to rock rebellion ever recorded, while the 14-minute closer “I Dream a Highway” feels less like an epic journey and more like a long, slow fade to black. It’s an album that reveres tradition but rarely transcends it.

I wasn't loving this at first, felt like pretty standard female singer songwriter from the early 2000s. Then the bluegrass started creeping in and it got pretty fun.

********** When I was telling when of our recent inductees to this group about this website, she asked, “how many women?”. I was sad to report that so far it’d been a fucking sausage fest as far as reviews went, there had been 2 records by female artists at the time, but there had been a White Stripes record, and we went on to discuss how underrated Meg White is as a drummer. Anyway, I’m happy that this is the second record in a row by a female artist! I hope this streak keeps going. ********** I first heard Gillian Welch on the “O Brother Where Art Thou?” soundtrack. I expected this to be new stuff trying to sound like old stuff, which usually causes me to recoil, especially when it comes to Bluegrass. I don’t know what it is, I just find any roots/bluegrass released after 1990 inauthentic and liberal boomer radio bait. But this record is certainly not that kind of thing! This is mostly 2 guitars (one song has a banjo), it’s Gillian and her partner in music, David Rawlings, playing and singing, and it’s more personal in nature, not singing about a time and place in Appalachia that neither of them lived in or experienced. The songs are mostly slow and contemplative. Time, not John, is the Revelator. Time is revealing visions of highways, past lovers, red clay halos, Elvis, and the Civil War. I recognize the value of this record. It’s good for the most part. I like the songs “Elvis Presley Blues”, and “My First Lover”, but in general, I just don’t think it’s for me. It doesn’t really excite me. The song “I Want To Sing That Rock and Roll”, is about just that. It’s well…dumb. Some may find it charming, but it’s like something you’d hear Daniel Johnston sing in full blast earnest yowl, and he’d pull it off, but it sounds out of place here. Gillian could play rock and roll! She could play anything she wants to. Her talent is obvious. Instead, there’s this “aww shucks” song about being drowned out by the loud rock n’ roll and not being able to participate. Gag me with Grammy. Then there’s the last song, “I Dream a Highway”. It clocks in at 14 and a half minutes. It is at least 9 minutes too long. I swear to God the tempo gets slower as it goes along. As much as I was dreading listening to bluegrass revival, by the end of this song I was praying for a hootenanny to break out. I’ll put this song on the next time I have a bout of insomnia. This is a decent record, but not much of Revelation. I don’t see myself revisiting this record any time soon, but I will keep any eye out for Gillian’s cameo in the general store asking for the Soggy Bottom Boys record the next time I watch my favorite movie of all time.

Pretty much every song on here would benefit from being minute or so shorter

Very cool bluegrass album. Pretty languid though; I wanted more variance in the tone and pace.

A slice of Americana, the type of thing I imagine the characters in Yellowstone listening to. Once again while not my thing, I can see why others would like it. I'm not sure I would ever intentionally listen to it again.

to me, this was just okay. I wanted to like it more but I felt like there just wasn't a lot going on! a bit too spare for my tastes.

deep inside the Gushers (tm) Laboratory, the deranged fruit experiments and human testing have violated OSHA violations one time too many. the lab doors are shuttered, but rumor tells of a lone scientist working on a controversial, top-secret project. this is the result of that scientist's life work: creating a folk album with all parameters set to "medium". hauntingly average.

Bluegrass, Americana and modern folk are not really my thing. But I do like Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan and other similar singer-songwriters. This album bridges that gap for me in a way hits home. Welch has an earnest, forthright delivery and the acoustic guitar work is clean and masterful. This was a great surprise for me! 3.5⭐️

Lovely harmonies, but there's not a lot of variety.

Very folksy bluegrass, exceptional talent within the genre. I had listened to her in the past, actually. Despite not being in the mood for the genre, it was an easy listen.

This seems like something I would like, but I just couldn’t get into it. Giving 3 stars because maybe I will try it again

Country version of Norah Jones? A bit of a snoozer for a sunny Thursday afternoon but I really enjoy the instrumentation.

Wasn't bad...really not much else to say about it.

Very mellow and folksy album. I like Gillian's voice and lyrics. A solid 3/5.

Slow start with some solid keepers on a vibe album

Fav Song: Elvis Blues. Notes: Great story telling but a bit sleepy.

Nice chill vibe. Love her voice and the fact it isn't buried in a bunch of studio sound. That being said, nothing really sticks out of that nice chill vibe.

could have been amazing but the dirge like slowness wore me down as the album went on. still good. could have been great

Very nice-I loved Gillian Welch when I first heard her. I was feeling in kinda of a sad mood when I listened to this though. Kinda sleepy. Not bad though.

Liked one half of it, struggled with the other.

Soft, sweet and Sunday easy listenin

I haven't heard anything about the singer or the album yet. The genre has never inspired me. So my expectations were quite low. But I was surprised. I liked most of the album. I wasn't thrilled, but I enjoyed listening to it. I only found the track "I Dream a Highway" far too long and didn't listen to it to the end. 3/5

first track was good, other songs dragged a bit

Skön rest, schyssta ak-guror, men lite för mycket country. Mer folk och pop så hade jag älskat det. Nu är det lite för nära till en banjo. Trea!

Day439 - an understated lovely album

57/1001 - I listened to her cover of Radiohead's "Black Star" first to get an idea of her sound. Honest competent guitar playing (two guitarists for sure on the album). Not a fan of the vocals and the last song could've been half as long (or a quarter since it was the same instrumental for 14 minutes).

Nice bit of contemporary country that never landed on my radar when it came out. A good listen

Good overall sound, but got a little bored with it

I get it. It’s good. Not my favorite thing but if you like neo-Nashville with the old sound this could scratch an itch.

This had some solid songs on it! The title track was a great start to the album! Solid!

O brother where art thou core

Oh my gosh dachte ich als ich Singer/Songwriter/Country las. Meist sichere 1* Kandidaten bei mir. Aber dieses Album hat es geschafft mich zu Erreichen. Ist es die Stimme oder die sparsame Instrumentierung? Schon die ersten Töne, so ein dissonanter Auftaktakkord bei Revelator, haben mich aufmerken lassen. Überraschung gelungen.

3.75 Nice discovery.

Chill vibes. Love the harmonies. I like Gillian’s smooth but powerful vocals. She seems like an old soul. Appreciate the slower paced songs, makes me want to ponder my life. The more upbeat songs are fun, I like the twangy instrumentals. Bit repetitive and long at times.

I have never heard of this person but the opening track is instantly compelling. I’m reminded of the music of some friends of mine (Quiles & Cloud) and it’s clear they were influenced by Gillian Welch’s style. Beautiful harmonies, interesting and slightly discordant melodies. I somehow feel nostalgic for something I’ve never lived through. Her voice is so smooth, yet somehow still raw. Some impressive finger picking. I recently saw A Complete Unknown, and listening to “I Want to Sing That Rock and Roll” made me think of Bob Dylan playing electric guitar at the folk festival. Some songs get a bit repetitive and in the middle of the album I started to wonder if I was already bored with the style. But then it redeems itself with “Everything is Free”, which definitely makes me want to give up the rat race and live off the land/on the road. I’m not sure why “I Dream a Highway” needed to be 14 minutes of the same refrain.

Why was the last track, I dream a highway, over 14 minutes?! Honestly, cut 10 minutes off and you're good. The album had an overall good feel though. Country/folk. Put this on on a summer eve on the porch with a drink while hanging out with friends.

Some nice country and western/ blue-grass /folk. A little boring. Nice harmonies and guitar/banjo work

Revelator and Everything Is Free are easily the standout tracks here - beautiful, haunting, and genuinely great songs. The rest of the album, though, leans a little too country for me. It’s well-crafted and undeniably heartfelt, but it just doesn’t fully pull me in the way those two tracks do.

Good folk/Americana album. Not really my jam, but every once in awhile it's nice. I like the harmonies and guitar. Middle of the road for me, 3. I guess out of 5 that's just beyond the middle...

It's pleasant enough but it's not particularly distinctive or exciting, so again have to question it's inclusion in the context of 1001 essential albums.

Interesting folky country jam alright man, cool lyrics

Enjoyed the less country-oriented tracks

Good album. Her stuff isn’t found in my collection, but I enjoy her warble and hum.

This album sounds beautiful, but at the same time, I didn't find it very remarkable. I've listened to a couple of different country-inspired albums on this list already, and I think country music can offer more variety than this album did. 3.5 stars

Decent.

Meh

It’s pleasant enough but I wouldn’t listen again.

She has a really nice voice and there are some really cool guitar parts, but I can’t say I truly love it. I definitely liked it much more than expected though.

I'm starting to look at other reviews on every album now, especially when I already know the artist or album. I'll wait until after the listen if it's something I'm unfamiliar with. Gillian Welch and her accomplice David Rawlings have risen to kind of Godlike status in the folk / Americana world over the years. I do already like the genre but sometimes I don't have the patience for Welch's penchant for slower, more reflective tunes. "Dear Someone", sound like a lost 78rpm classic, for instance, but could be about 12 bpm faster. And opening the album with a 6+ minute dirge is litmus test for the listener right off the bat. "Red Clay Halo" is straight-up bluegrass and gets the feet tapping, but the energy it generates is sapped by yet another long slow tune, "April the 14th". "I Wanna Sing that Rock and Roll" straight-up sounds like the Louvin Brothers on one of their non-religious albums. One reviewer called this "dull" and "unimaginative". I challenge them to write and sing and record something a quarter as compelling. [btw this is someone who gave Kings of Leon 5 stars : / ]. --- And when I pass through the pearly gate Will my gown be gold instead? Or just a red clay robe with red clay wings And a red clay halo for my head? --- It's unfortunate that people taking the journey of this 1001 records would just say "I don't like country" or "I don't like singer-songwriters" and throw down a one-star rating. Why wouldn't this journey be about OPENING YOUR MIND to new experiences? Isn't that the whole point?

3.5 stars. Nice melodies, guitar, vox, relaxing. Everything is free is amazing songwriting.

Incredibly slow and quiet. "I Dream a Highway" would make an excellent lullaby.

I actually quite enjoyed listening to this album for the most part. Although the last song was long and made me cry, the rest was pretty good. I don't think I'd listen to it again, but it was a pleasant listen.

Definitely not a high energy album. Having gone to college in the mountains of NC when this album came out, I had heard a lot about how good Time (The Revelator) was and never had sought the album out. In general, I tend to dread songs that are 14 minutes long but I Dream a Highway was very slow yet went by very quickly for me. This is bluegrass for the new age (well, now the old age since it came out 24 years ago) and it was enjoyable. I can't say it caught my attention to where I would listen to it again but it has a place in this book.

pleasantly boring. fave song: everything is free it reminds me of the milk carton kids but so much that i want to go listen to them instead xD

Nice album

Do these country albums start to sound the same to anyone else?

This album started off well, and was the singer-songwriter style I like. Unfortunately a couple songs go a bit too hard on the country and I had to skip. The other issue comes with as the album goes on, the slower songs start to just sound too much the same for me, and my experience dulled. Funny how singer songwriter is one of my favorite genres, and yet this 1001 albums list make it one of my worst. SMH

A real mixed bag, revelator and everything is free chug along nicely but a few folk off numbers as well.

Interesting folk music, but gets boring at times.

How rare and exciting it is to get an album past the year 2000 that I know nothing about! What’s more exciting is how *not* post-2000 it sounds. This music is honest and simple in structure, allowing the listener to pay more attention to when Gillian Welch accentuates a word or repeats a phrase. The songs are good at either painting a character, or ask you to think back on a different time in one’s life. My highlight on here is “Everything Is Free” for it’s straightforward but super effective guitar melody

Uma combinação bem moderna de folk, country e um leve bluegrass. Achei um pouco monótono o mesmo andamento constante, mas me instigou a procurar outros discos da Gillian

I was pretty sure I wasn't going to like this album, but the immediate subtle/haunting minor key of the opening track "Revelator" was exactly that and kept me engaged. Favourite song on the album. Just 2 acoustic guitars, 2 voices. Not entirely sure how to grade it overall since I'm probably not going to be adding to my "must play" collection - solely due to my listening tastes. The album is very *very* low-key [the last track at 14 minutes is way way way (way) beyond necessary and a crippling stagger-to-the-end for the album - only Yes songs need to be that length] and a bit overly-Americana for my tastes, but for what it is it's fantastic. I guess I can see justifying any ranking for this but i'll give a strong 3 knowing the talent and care taken. 6/10 3 stars.

Hyvä rytmi.. rytnitön... rytmi ei rytmitytä.. ei rytmistyä. sama kama.. samaa kamaa..

Authentic, unpolished, one might even say raw. A reminder that there are lots of talented, thoughful people out there. That said this feels like an open mike night that you'd be glad you caught, if you were in the mood, but not someone you would expect to explore into superstardom later. That's not fair, Gillian is very accomplished and this album is heartfelt, I just don't love it.

слушать такое я не могу НО откуда я знаю песню ревелейтор? как узнать эти вещи?

Not an easy one for sure. The songs are slow, trudging and wistful, all with a dark and dissonant undertone and heavy traditional stylings. There is an undeniable, melancholic beauty buried underneath the scratched surface of these songs, but you really have to work for it. And honestly, I'm not sure if I'm built for that; especially when it comes to the 15-minute closing track.

I didn't expect to like this. Surprisingly, I sort of did. 3/5

I was only really familiar with Gillian Welch from the O Brother where art thou soundtrack. I found this album enjoyable, I’m not sure it’s a style of music I would often think to listen to out of choice but it was certainly an engaging listen

Very solid folk/country/bluegrass album

cutie pie

meh. It's ok. I like her style sometimes but all in all it gets monotonous.

A nice relaxing album. Pretty voice, simple structure, no surprises or anything. Perfectly middle of the road as far as albums go. Not the most exciting, but there's no real flaws with this one.

Pretty nice peaceful singing but got pretty boring towards the end. This is a low 3

Not bad. It grew on me on the second listen. I'm still not a huge fan, but I could see myself finding something in her catalog I could really get into.

This was a perfect fit for a cool November day. Love the lyrics, her voice, and the overall vibe. I'll have to take more time with this; the tracks that stood out the most were the first and last ones. Oh, and Elvis Presley Blues. 3 1/2 stars.

I always appreciate it when this project throws up a name I've never heard of or heard, so this is much appreciated. And an interesting singer-songwriter album--she has a strong voice and she and David Rawlings have a great acoustic style. The title track and "I dream a highway" are particularly good, with a haunting style and nice guitar work (and amazing that "Revelator" was their mic test version); I also enjoyed finding out that "I want to sing that rock and roll" was recorded at Ryman Auditorium (to an appreciative audience). I do wish there was more variety across the album, more from a sound and style perspective than the range of lyrics, I suppose, and I definitely preferred the tracks without as much banjo-playing, as those tended to feel shoehorned into a more bluegrass style that isn't quite as interesting/unique to me. (Although I have several albums I've enjoyed that veer into that territory, I'll admit.) I'm not at all surprised to read that she worked extensively with T-Bone Burnett and also played a role in the music for "O Brother Where Art Thou", as this album fits well into those styles, but also somewhat different; I'm reminded in some ways of artists like Daniel Lanois or Lucinda Williams or even Ollabelle. If there were more tracks like "April the 14th part 1" and "Everything is free", and fewer like "My first love" or "Dear Someone", I'd have definitely upgraded her to 4 or 5 stars (I do wish I could give a half-star more in this case, though). But I don't think that's really her/their focus, I'll admit.

Enjoyed this more than expected, my favorite was “Red Clay Halo”

I like some songs off of this album, but as a whole it gets a bit boring

Not an artist or album I was familiar with. But very gentle and soulful. The opener "Revelator" is this best here.

Good acoustic/bluegrass singer/songwriter album.

That there’s some sleepy picking’ an a strummin’ over thin but pleasant voiced Dixie storytellin’. Red Clay Halo sums it up nicely! Feel like I went to a show at the Grand Ol’ Oprey. (3.1*s) for Gillian’ Time.

I found myself going back to this album, there's something about it. The first song is subtle and understated (almost haunting) and the second song immediately changes up the vibe but maintains the singer-songwriter folk aspect. It kept me engaged throughout, never heard of her before but would put it on again. I really like her voice and how the simple backing allows for the poetic lyrics to be the highlight. You can feel her singing. I would check out more from her in the future. 3.15.

Never heard of her.

Je suis resté un peu surpris de cet album, ce n'est pas du gros country radio pop friendly comme je redoutais. C'est beaucoup plus influencé folk et minimaliste. Pas le genre que j'écouterais régulièrement, mais je comprends l'attrait. 6.5/10

Not for me

I guess this is where singer/songwriting was in 2001, when I had absolutely zero knowledge or desire to know about it. I mostly found this album to be too country for my tastes but there are a few gems in there. "Revelator" and "April the 14th pt 1" were both enjoyable and stayed away from twangs and banjos. Despite the intense length I liked “I dream a highway” as well. That’s what a sad song should sound like. The rest of these tracks sounds like something out of a 60's revival western or similar setting, which I didn't really enjoy as the message was too generic to get me to pay attention. While her singing is great from a technical perspective, her guitar playing is pretty trashy, even the title track which I liked had some really poor timings and (purposeful?) discordant bits. I didn't find either of these aspects to be particularly noteworthy. I've heard artists in bars at open mic nights that are just as good, to be honest. Maybe it’s the songwriting; it’s mostly simple but poignant on the good tracks. I’m giving this a 3 because the 3 tracks I mentioned are good. I’m sure the rest is someone’s style, but it isn’t mine.

Some nice vocals and decent guitarwork present a minimalist Americana that's a bit too straightforward and simple for its own good.

Not much for more traditional folk, but this was a decent album.

Gentle acoustic

Rarely give a shit about country, but fell in love with this immediately

The melancholic vibe of the singer-songwriter is enjoyable, though not the most original in terms of style. There’s a nice moodiness to the music, but it occasionally feels repetitive.

As I get older I seem to be appreciating country music more. Beforehand I would have got bored of this after first couple of times. But I appreciated some of this album. I thought it was OK, but on first listen I didn't feel there was much depth ro this album. 6/10

Some great songs towards the end of the album. I do like the sparseness of the music it feels very natural. The songwriting did not engage until the album was almost over.

It was decent and easy to listen to. She has a great voice and I love the older country instrumentation much more than when it is overproduced. Still wasn’t able to focus on the lyrics intently while listening so a lot of its charm might’ve been missed Rating: 3.2

I liked this quite a bit, but I'm a little biased because bluegrass/Americana featuring female vocals is one of my favorite types of music. While really enjoyable, there are dozens of albums in this genre subset that probably have been included on this list before this album. 3.5

3.5

Nice soothing dollop of country folk. Immaculately crafted and prettily sung but a bit too gentle and not that captivating. Kinda ordinary songs that don’t really jump out. No Free Birds or Stairway To Heavens in this collection.

I was familiar with "Everything Is Free" song before jumping into this whole album. I think with some repeated listens this one could really grow on me as a whole well beyond the song I already knew. I know she is held in high regard by many music aficionados. I'll give it another listen when I'm in the right mood. BTW - Sylvan Esso does a great cover of "Everything Is Free" PS - this song is from 2001 and it is about how music is free now (napster, MP3s,etc) and artists just will keep making music because they have an inner need to make music and they will just keep getting ripped off. Bummer.

Some very good songs in this. Her writing is hilarious and the mood is grim. Sort of like early Dylan

Ok as background music, but few of the songs had any real grab to them. I liked “Elvis Presley Blues”, but that’s the only one that made a strong impression.

Quite nice really

Meh.

Quaint, melodic and calm. The music and vocals are very gentle and easy to listen to. I appreciate Folk, and this is yet another record that adds to that appreciation. I like this one.

Pues no me la pasé mal escuchándolo, pero no encuentro algo especialmente destacable o que al escucharlo me haga pensar que este disco pertenece a la lista de los mil mejores de la historia.

High production quality, this has a good sonic feel to it. She’s clearly a talented musician. I didn’t emotionally connect to anything though.

Revelator was a great song, rest of the album was okay

Not so bad!

Whooooooo

First song I was ready to set the album on fire, then the bajo kicked in on song 2, and it redeemed itself.

This is the first artist I've been assigned that I haven't listened to at all before. I quite like artists like Lucinda Williams and Tracy Chapman, or Adrianne Lenker, whose harmonies with Buck Meek sound a lot like Gillian Welch and David Rawlings here. I also love prolonged retellings of events like the Titanic sinking or the JFK assassination, interspersed with 20th century American musical history, i.e. Bob Dylan's "Tempest" and "Murder Most Foul". However, I found this album a little uninspired and plodding. I'm not American nor particularly steeped in country music, but my impression is that sonically and in terms of its clichéd references to Americana, it's not too distinct from a lot of mass produced country dross. Seven minutes into the final song, "I Dream A Highway", I'm beginning to doubt what I just wrote. I'll give credit for giving this song room to breathe, it's a great closer. Maybe the album would have flowed better for me with a few more energetic songs, bookended by the lovely languid "I Dream A Highway".

Very enjoyble listen to a genre that doesn't get enough attention. That being said, While Welch's Time (The Revelator) is an easy album there are many, many more examples of Americana, Folk, etc - heck even by female artists. I think the writer(s) chose this based on a recency bias, but heck, it's not 90s UK pop! 3.5/5

Sweet and melancholic. didn't feel as long as it is.

tämä albumi on MATEMAATTISESTI nerokas! mitä tarkoittaa tämä heh.. tarvitseeko kysyä? tieteilijät kyselee kyselee... milloin laitetaan se kynä ja paperi alas ja nautit vähän elämästä tuntisit sen viiman kasvoillasi... rrrrrraaaakaaa musikkia... raakaa lihaa... appalakit huutaa kirkuu kivusta.... veri velloo yläjuoksusta ei rannikon vetelät tiedä mitä tapahtuu... blood red river... miksi hanasta tulee punaista...mitä-,, mitä vittua... miten voi olla... o' mountains weep... close your eyes child... millonkohas loppuu psykoosi arvostelut everything is free

somewhere between folk and bluegrass with soothing female harmonies. good listen.

I dunno.

I've a strong feeling this will improve on a further listen.

Thought I wouldn't like this that much but it was fine, like the chill genre and simplicity.

Not really my kind of music.

Calm

Very much of its time, competent bluegrassy folk.

It's a pretty good folk album but I don't think it's super special. I'd be happy to listen to it any time but I wouldn't ever have a desire to put it on. There just isn't any edge to it.

Not bad. Too country for me.

Not really my genre but I like aspects of it. Enough of a slight bluegrass/folk feel to make it more than just a typical singer-songwriter album.

I'm not hugely into country, but this album was pleasant enough

Very sad.

Dear Someone…

Приятное кантри-музло, но не для меня)

A beautiful, haunting album that closes with its most powerful songs. Not typically my thing, but Welch's talent is undeniable.

Ouain, c’est un album

Welch has a fantastic vibe. Folk/bluesgrassy. Love the guitar sound. Very simple but good 7.2/10

Quite nice ! The opener is fantastic. I love the instrumentation and the mellow vibe which flows throughout the album. Welch has a steadfast presence. I found the songs to be enjoyable, if a bit generic. The sole exception is My First Lover, which is the most grating pile of steaming garbage I’ve heard in a long time. Some of the songs also go on too long and get a bit samey. But all in all the album is quite nice c:

It really doesn't play like a modern country album, or a throwback one at that. Just weird in so many ways. Barely audible at times, yet melodically efficient at others.

Crafted, but ultimately pretty boring. Revelator is a good start, but the stripped down folky singing just doesn't do much for me. I don't feel the passion so it's fine sounding but doesn't hold my interest. I Dream a Highway was also decent, but not enough to carry a 14 minute song.

sleepy

Beautiful melancholic music.

sehr entspannt, fast zu sehr

3.5 stars. A nice singer songwriter album. "Dear Someone" is a nice song. It's a very gentle album, amd can feel a bit one-note at times, but still pleasant.

A bit of a snoozer but good for a chill time

Torn with this album as I enjoyed her singing voice and the sparseness of the backing music, but also felt my attention waning with the slow speed and sad droning melodies. Although I didn’t give her any favors by waiting so late in the evening to listen.. didn’t know any of these songs but more recognizable for her contributions to “O Brother, Where Art Thou”. Not exactly my cup of tea, 2.5/5 not sure if I’ll rate up or down yet.

3.5 Courtney Barnett everything is free.cover is amazing

It’s not bad!

Nice voice and some great guitar playing. Some of it veered a bit too close to full on country for me, but I liked a good deal of it. A strong 3.

Objectively good but too boring for me

Beautifully written songs. Gillian Welch has such an emotive and folksy voice, she's engaging and enigmatic. A little sleepier pace than I like, from a genre perspective, but this is a good listen.

Almost swore this was the roller skates girl but I was wrong, time did not revelate this time (2.5/5)

what a lovely album. gillian welch created an easy listening experience. welch's lyrics grabbed me most of all, i think. "i dream a highway" contains such rich visuals, but it isn't an outlier. i'm reminded of joni mitchell, who did more folk than country but was heavy in that singer songwriter space in which welch finds herself so at home. the way they carry their voices has a similarity, too. welch isn't a copy cat, though, and brings her own personality to her music.

This album feels like such an anachronism! From the music, to the album cover, even down to the name "Gillian Welch", this album sounds, looks, and feels much older than it is. This album is referred to as "alternative country", but at its heart, it seems to harness the spirit of country from the 50s/60s. Isn't it funny how things loop back around and what was once the de-facto standard is now the alternative? The album is very peaceful and ultimately very simple, musically; it's just Gillian's voice, a guitar, and a banjo. It is relaxing, easy to listen to, and lets the unique instrument that is Gillian's voice shine through.

Singer Songbook album. Texte habe nicht so sehr drauf geachtet. Naja. Konnte man aber sehr gut hören und war nicht nervig.

Gentle country folk. She has a great voice. Very expressive. This was good but I didn’t connect to it much today. Some of it was a bit sleepy for my taste, especially that long slow one at the end.

2.5

Nice album but not sure why it is on this list. So many great country albums and female artist, Dolly, Loretta, Tammy. Just don’t get this selection

13 minutter song?

Good, but Hell Among the Yearlings is the better Welch album.

I really liked her voice, but this acoustic folk-y style of music really is not my favorite. A song or two in that style was good, but by track 3, I was ready for some more variety.

Really great vocals and guitar but unfortunately really like....blendy without any noticeable tempo changes and I really wish the last song was not like fourteen minutes long.

Timed nicely as I’m getting a lot more into country and Americana. I was very excited to see she featured in the O’ Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack. The highest honour for a country/Americana musician.

3.1

was okay. the last song dragged on a bit, but had a nice melody

Very chill and relaxing album. I like Gillian Welch and prefer some of her other albums over this one but this was still a nice listen.

No es mi tipo de musica, aun asi se nota la emocion, hay melodias muy buenas y su voz es muy tranquilizante. Lo definiria como un album escuchable, no se disfruta pero esta lejos de irritar. 6/10

It's cliché, but the clichés are implemented perfectly.

If you don’t mind a grossly out of tune lead guitar player, the songs are good, especially the lyrics. I did a rare save of “Elvis Blues” and “Free” to my favorites. She does some nice genre surfing from almost a 50s ballad feel to traditional folk/bluegrass to a modern folk. Just wish he tuned that G-string on the lead guitar. It literally hurt to listen to a couple of his solos. But Gillian is just great.

68/100

Ei paha! Aika jees kevyt folkkihommeli! Kyl tästä kolme pongoo saa. 3/5

Tää oli kiva, pitää palata uudestaan vielä. 3,5/5

Varsin hyvä folk-levy. Ei ehkä ihan nelonen vielä, mut vois ehkä tulevaisuudessa nousta. 3/5

At risk of sounding like a broken record, AND underwhelming a good album, I have to say the singer songwriter genre has a lot of great musicians in it, and I love the genre. But because of both those facts I have had to come up with a different way to rate their music. I have settled on an emotional connection, a feeling of closeness with the artists and how their music makes me feel. While I liked this album I didn't feel much of a connection to it (the last song worked!) but overall I felt like "yeah, they are Ok." and not OMG!

I'd aim to classify this as folk over country. Excellent composition and integrity in the recordings, especially the interplay between Gillian and her longtime partner David Rawlins

Some really beautiful songs. I loved April the 14th.

Tell em memaw!

listened on 3/18 - not bad and good easy listening. 2.7/5

I have never listened to an album from a folk artist like this all the way through before now, just never a genre that I crossed paths with. I've always possessed an open mind (or ears!) when it comes to music and this challenge just reinforces that. Pretty soothing album overall, and I could hear and see some Americana in the lyrics too. Nothing groundbreaking, but this type of music comes across as more pure and authentic to me I guess, likely due to the limited instrumentals and simplistic sound. The lyrics and the delivery have to shine as a result, and Mrs. Welch does a good enough job throughout. A word to first time listeners, the final track is a marathon song (15 min).

I enjoyed this album. Slow and chill but not something I’ll probably look up to play a lot more.

Stark, intimate. Enjoyed it, but no great revelation for me.

As a bluegrass fan I appreciate this album for its ambition and talent. The music is lovely and delightful, albeit a bit simple and repetitive. Simply based on how much the songs resonate with me, guides my rating. Good, not great.

Pretty good, maybe a bit too long, folk album. I like her voice. Not something I'd ever return to, but it's enjoyable enough. I don't have any quirky one-liner for this one. It's a 3/5.

A little too on the twangy side for my tastes, but had some solid tunes

Pretty and haunting

3.6 - Lots of emotional impact in these spare 4-track recordings. I like the soft vocal harmonies, the tight finger picking and the storytelling. This reminds me of stuff I sometimes hear on Austin City Limits on PBS. Besides the overlong (15 mins?!) “Highway To You”, I like this warm slice of acoustic Americana. Standouts: “I Want to Sing That Rock and Roll”, “Elvis Presley Blues.”

3.5/5

Folk - blue grass- country - she has a pretty voice but not my genres

Country feel to this album

Very good, easy listening.

cool vibes

Bluegrass Mixed👍

El country alternativo que Gillian Welch había cultivado en sus primeros discos explota aquí con una colección de temas acústicos a los que sólo les faltan los sonidos eléctricos para convertirse en canciones de rock. Algo que se evidencia en uno de los temas que más me gustan, "Elvis Presley Blues". Pero en cualquier caso el alma folk se impone en un disco íntimo de una belleza impactante, como ocurre con "My First Lover", un tema clásico y alterntivo al mismo tiempo a lomos del sonido del banjo. La canción que más me gusta es "Everything Is Free", un tema que muchos interpretan, creo que erróneamente, como una denuncia de las descargas gratuitas de música y que, creo, en realidad habla de la libertad de vivir sin necesidad de riquezas materiales.

Love the first track and I think the last two were alright. Not a lot else of interest. Katy Kirby vibes.

Not a bad album, Elvis Presley Blues was the stand out track for me. Very mellow, would be interested listening to it with headphones on staring out the window on a rainy day.

Would listen again

fine, not my thing. little on the sleepy side

Rating: 6/10 Best songs: Everything is free

allt í fína. held ég hlusti aldrei á þetta aftur samt.

Fascinating look at 2nd wave feminism and folk music

Nice

It sounds old, and I mean that in a good way. Like Gillian Welch just came down from the Appalachian mountains and laid down an album.

I liked it, and I especially liked the banjo parts, but it didn't really move me.

I gave it a few listens but it never rose above "background music" quality. It's a shame. I tend to like bluegrass-style music, especially the harmonies.

Gillian's voice is great, and the songs are largely pretty, even if none of them really jumped out at me.

Took really intentional listening to appreciate a few tracks (April 14th Part 1, Elvis Presley Blues). A little too much sameness to each track overall, but appreciate getting exposed to this.

Great folk storytelling. I loved the guitar work and vocals on this. The songwriting was generally brilliant, and the record had a dark, americana feel. It's one of those record that really transport you to a different place.

Not bad

Nce

Really liked the last two songs

Super sad album.

3.5 For an album that looks like a contemporary country release, I really didn’t expect to enjoy this as much as I did. But then again, I’m not sure I would exactly classify this as country (or contemporary for that matter… 2001 was 23 years ago, woof). While it’s entirely possible that the more pop-structured stuff that’s come out recently may have altered my perspective on what an authentic country album sounds like, this felt much more like bluegrass to me than anything else - and either I enjoy bluegrass music or just Gillian Welch because I thought this was excellent. Yeah, a lot of the songs here sound very similar, but I do believe that they all still shine in their own way. Welch has a voice that was made for the genre and elevates every track here, but just as importantly, she’s also a talented songwriter and storyteller, with songs like April the 14th and Elvis Presley Blues being highlights for me just due to how interesting I found them lyrically and thematically. However, my personal favorite track was Revelator, which I found to be a really stirring ballad to open the album and a great immediate showcase of her talents. I enjoyed most everything here though, but I will say, I don’t think the 14-minute closing track was at all needed. It’s not bad, but it’s just kind of the same thing looping over and over again for 14 minutes - you could have easily cut that bad boy down to about 3 or 4 minutes, and I don’t think anything would have been lost. Not the kind of thing I normally listen to, and it’s probably not about to become any kind of newfound all-time favorite, but it is one of those albums on this list that I’m happy to have been exposed to. In the right time or place, I could see myself listening again in the future.

The whole aesthetic of this had me hooked. The cover art, the title, the year of production, so many possibilities. Then the banjo kicked in.

Lovely acousticy country vibes, well sung and well plucked and well strummed. Good road trip music.

This is a collection of well-crafted folk songs from Gillian Welch. She records and performs songs with her partner, David Rawlings. Her lovely, warbling voice evokes traditional, Appalachian folk songs. Welch tells stories in her songs about historical events and the role of music in our lives.

Not my thing at all but I suppose I can respect it. Not really into the whole singer-songwriter folk music genre. 7/10.

Без понятия кто это! Первый раз слышу про Джиллиан Уэлч. Но стоит сказать, что revelator как-то попал в настроение, такой лирический трек. Приятно. Дальше пошло кантри кантри прямо. Не могу сказать, что кантри кантри это моя тема. Никогда кантри не понимал, ну это надо быть любителем копаться в земле. Это не я. Если б больше песен на альбоме были как Reveleator -- я б поставил 4 или даже 5. Так троечка, но в принципе я провёл хорошее время за альбомычем.

Slow, singer/songwriter type album. Heavy lyrics but just a slow burn of an album

Pleasant but I’m not putting it on repeat any time soon.

I’ve known of Gillian since WXPN first played her in the 90s. I never explored her music past the tracks they played. I remember Marianne seeing her live and saying how good she was. I loved Elvis Presley Blues. The rest of the album was strong, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to listen to it again.

When I saw it was another modern-ish country album I groaned, expecting a repeat of the Kacey Musgraves album I hated, but turns out that's not the case. Though I will admit that despite a couple of solid songs I was not too impressed as I got towards the end. Then holy hell, she busts out a 15 minutes emotional gut-punch of a closer to finish the album off, just absolutely beautiful from start to finish. That alone will bump this up to a 3 for me, and I can't wait to listen to that song again. Fair play to her, she won me over by the end.

perfectly alright

wow super pleasant 3.5/5

Pretty okay I guess

It’s just not really my thing. Pretty guitar and I do appreciate her singing. Good lyricism too, this is more Kasey musgraves than it is luke combs. Still not really my thing

Big fan of the guitar layers and how her vocal sounds on top of it. Sounds influential to artists like Lizzie McAlpine I get the appeal of no drums, but this would be great cover song music with some drums added

#44. My first thought was that this was better than the rest of the hipster-folk on this list. My second thought was no, it was just the first song. The first song is good, the rest of it was whatever. 3/5: acceptable Song added to playlist:Revelator I've created a playlist on Spotify that consists of the best and/or my favorite song from each of the albums in this book. This list can be found here if you are interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7MAXDGLWlwLkFLb8veGfkA?si=FqkQQPgZTFWG0jAUJXLFZA&utm_source=copy-link

Dat was nog eens aangenaam

Best fijn en rustgevend.

This was a pretty good album for what it was, but man it was so boring. The only song I like-liked was "Revelator" and the rest was just tedious. Good if you're looking for something in a country/folk/bluegrass style, but I just never am.

Nice, gloomy folk album. A bit one-note through its runtime and I didn't like the repetitive nature of Elvin Presley Blues. A nice listen and something I hadn't heard before.

Singer songwriter, s'fine

A really pleasant folk album. Despite not being the biggest fan of folk, I can appreciate and admire the work done by Gillian Welch on this record. It reminds me a little of Elizabeth Cotten who I admire greatly. Skews a little more country than anything Cotten released but still similar. At times the album dragged on. I dreamed a Highway is a great song that probably should've been decreased to a half or a third of its actual runtime. Ultimately, Time (The Revelator) is a solid 3 stars but really scratching on 4 stars. Favorite songs: Elvis Presley Blues Revelator About half of I Dream a Highway

Not bad just not my style of music

Sad country music that didn’t really do much for me, revelator is good though

I still don’t get Gillian Welch

Altså.. Fin nok musik, men ikke noget mindblowingly godt?

Fint countryvæl

Quiet chill music, sometimes getting very country. Fine to listen to.

Nice album except for the last song, that takes it from 4 stars to ,3

I started out being bored by this album but gradually I got into the mood and it became quite beautiful.

3.5

If you want to listen to sad acoustic music that makes you want to give up on everything and jump out the window, this is the album for you! But it’s quite nice in a relaxing, melancholy kind of way.

3.75

I see she featured on the o brother where art thou soundtrack which is amazing. I don’t listen to country but she has an amazing voice. I liked the bluegrass elements

Enjoyed

Interesting sound. Very country.

chill but ehh.

Sighed when I seen an alt country album from 2001, but pleasantly surprised with this one. Deserves to be on the list, but just not enough to add to my personal rotation

Folky, slow, chill. I guess the impact from this album is that is a female country singer and the lyrics seem to be personal. But it feels kind off slow and a bit boring to the end.

Singer-songwritermuziek voor bij het kampvuur. Ik was eerst bang voor een soort Joni Mitchell, die heel zweverig en irritant gaat lopen gillen en bleren. Maar het eerste nummer is geweldig, ik hoor Jerry Cantrell van Alice in Chains dit al spelen. Bij dat kampvuur wil ik wel zitten. Jammer genoeg houdt het dat niveau niet vast. Nr 2 is bluegrass. En bij nr3 moet ik denken aan de Louvin brothers, de broers met de kwade dronk. De rest van het album hopt een beetje heen en weer tussen country en bluegrass, het ene gedateerder dan de ander. Ik luister de plaat de volgende ochtend nog een keer en er zitten echt een paar wonderschone nummers tussen, die ik zo 5 sterren zou durven geven. Maar de meeste nummers kunnen wel wat peper in de reet gebruiken, wat extra tempo, waardoor je "hieeehaaa!" wil roepen. Het geheel haalt daardoor slechts 3 sterren. Maar dit is dus typisch zo'n album (voor mij dan) dat alle kanten op had gekund.

Decent enough music but not something that I regularly enjoy or would listen to. Decent story telling.

This was an absolute delight and very calm and peaceful record to listen to. Very much enjoyed it.

Had on in the background. Sounded perfectly innocuous quiet folk that I would probably like and maybe merits another listen

I like Gilliam Welch and I like this album. This kind of private somber comfortable feeling. Her voice does all the heavy lifting for me. So steady, that’s why it’s a good companion. Never sticks out too much. I can feel the desolation and the loneliness a mile away. But it’s cozy. This is what a lot of New England sounds like to me, I don’t know where she’s from but it feels so familiar to the folk/bluegrass scene here. I think one of my friend’s parents put this on a lot I’m the car. Just feels like home. 3/5

- enjoyable but not my favorite - My First Lover was great

Folksy country. Reminded me of some others I have heard but can't put a finger on what. Perfectly fine. 3.5

Not my type of music at all, being country/folk, but a decent album.

Sweet but a bit samey

Nice

Forgettable a bit

This would be nice sitting on the porch of an Appalachian cabin, but would require me to go to an Appalachian cabin

was good but not my vibe

Interesting. I didn't hate it, but I wouldn’t listen to it again

Love a good steel guitar

2.5

Generally I like this kind of music. You can hear a country tone to it. The songs did feel quite heavy though and maybe it just caught me ina. Different mood Favourite track: Revelator

Not bad tbh

Irregular, sutil, de melodías imprevistas. Gillian Welch no termina de forjar un disco redondo, pero logra capturar mi atención con momentos de alta sensibilidad.

It’s alright just decent country 3/5.

Some of the songs are a little long winded but overall not bad

Top 3 Songs: 1 - Revelator (1) 2 - Everything Is Free (9) 3 - I Want To Sing That Rock and roll (6)

Good folk album - I can hear it being an influence for later folk & country artists.

2,5

Pretty unspectacular

Relaxing album, listed as singer/songwriter and at points it felt like country but I think that's the perfect album for that genre. Gillian has a great voice and many of these songs seem sad and nostalgic in a good way. Enjoyed this one!

3 stars. very pleasant

Experiments a little between folk and country, but there isn’t much to say about this album…

I was fully prepared to downvote this because 'Country', but there's some really lovely soft songs in here in places and I had a nice time with it in general.

Nice but not breathtaking

really nice folk vibe, not my fav but revelator is a great track

Springtime in a coffee shop

Country. Folk. Dulce. Un poco aburrido.

Enjoyed it more than I thought I would, favorite song would be My First Lover.

It's nice, but does it belong on this list?

Impressive, but not what I’m looking for.

dunno

Ihan kiva, chilli kokonaisuus. Täytyy yrittää ehtii perehtyy enemmänkin tähän uuteen tuttavuuteen

She has a nice soothing voice that blends well with the minimalist instrumentation if guitars/banjos, but it fails to leave a mark with its songwriting and the slow tempo nature drags on a bit with the lack of dynamics in the album overall.

Nice sounding Americana that is soothing but also a little bit too monotnous

Not a bad folk album, good but didn’t grab me

Not an unpleasant listen, but overall a bit of a dirge. Seems like an album that might get better with time, or if you listen to it with the Blue Ridge mountains in the background. A surprisingly rural, country sound coming from someone from LA.

This vacillated between being generally pleasant and somewhat annoying to me. I don't typically go for this latter day old timey revivalist fare that NPR stations across the US are so enamored with. The rootsiness feels a bit forced, but it's generally inoffensive.

Nice folk/country, but overall became a bit of a background sound for me. Not bad though.

Good country album, with a relaxing mood