I confess I hadn't heard of Alice Gerrard until M.C. Taylor of Hiss Golden Messenger mentioned her at one of his solo gigs last year. He was touring in support of his album Haw and he opened the set with a stark a cappella version of a traditional song variously called 'When I Was a Young Boy' or 'One Morning in May' (you can hear a recording of him singing it here (courtesy of www.nyctaper.com) and see Gerrard performing it here). After he had finished he recalled that he had learned the song from Gerrard, who he referred to as the "bible of American roots music". When he asked whether anyone in the audience knew about her seminal albums with Hazel Dickens from the 60s and 70s there wasn't much by way of recognition. He also threw in that he had just produced an album by her that was coming out on Tompkins Square 'sometime'. Turns out we've had to wait until now for it to see the light of day.
Also turns out that those records with Hazel Dickens, as All Music put it, "rank among the most influential recordings in folk music history", which as the press release for this album notes, "laid the groundwork for many artists, especially female bluegrass and folk musicians." Emmylou Harris has said of her, "She is the real deal with the right stuff. She hasn't forgotten where country music came from."
Follow the Music is a mix of traditional songs and Gerrard originals. The production rightly places her vocals front and centre, high in the mix, with the supporting instrumentation symathetically supportive rather than overbearing. The authority and intensity with which she delivers these songs belies, or perhaps only comes with, her age. Gerrard turned 80 this year. The accompaniment successfully laces tradition with just enough edge, undoubtedly aided in no small part by contributions from Phil and Brad Cook of Megafaun who have made a career out of such melding of styles.
The liner notes offer Gerrard's brief but revealing thoughts on the provenance of each song. Of opening track, 'Bear Me Away', she wonderfully notes, "I love this song. I heard Bruce Greene singing it one day; he taught it to me. Bruce learned it from traditional singer Naomi Ledford." Or of 'Wedding Dress',"I have no idea where I learned this. I've known it forever", evocatively reminding you of a time when songs were handed down and passed round among singers.
The back cover, though simple, does covey some sense of the music contained within. The elegant handwritten track-listing is stark yet personal. The front cover is perhaps more telling. Rather than choosing a styled shot, we get an image in the making, Gerrard being readied for such a picture. A truer image. There is no artifice to these songs, and you suspect the same is true about the singer herself. This is wonderful music without pretension whatsoever, but with a depth, and occasional darkness - just listen to 'The Vulture' - that will stay with you.
