The Lines We Draw Together, from banjoist, fiddle player, singer and innovative songwriter Rowan Rheingans is a bit of a juxtaposition with the music being relaxing and melancholy and some of the subject matter covering challenging topics. Listening to it is like having a gentle comforting hug.
It contains ten original songs from Rowan, which the PR notes describe as “ten brilliantly poetic meditations on history, war, family, birdsong, dance, trauma recovery, sorrow and hope” and there is certainly some wonderful story telling in the songs.
The album certainly pushes the envelope of folk and some of it reminded me of a Peter Gabriel album in terms of the originality and composition, especially the title track ‘Lines’. That said there is still the essence of folk songs and tunes in her writing.
There is some gentle banjo playing on ‘Fire’ and listen out for the percussion on ‘Brave’. ‘Sky’ is a short almost spoken song, with very little musical accompaniment. In contrast ‘Traces’ is nearly nine minutes long, starts with mournful strings goes into a repeated short verse and closes with clarinet.
The combination of clarinet from Jack McNeil (Propellor) and strings on many of the songs intertwine wonderfully. Much of it was recorded live, which can be felt by the listener as the interaction between the musicians is very apparent.
Other musicians involved include Michele Stoddart (The Magic Numbers), percussionist Laurence Hunt (The Wayward Band) and electronic musician Robert Bentall all help enforce the originality of the album and the lack of fear of moving away from her more recognized genre. The producer was Andy Bell who has also worked with Jon Boden and Karine Polwart.
I really enjoyed all the songs and if you’re feeling in a reflective mood stick this album on kick back, relax and enjoy the embrace of that hug.
Duncan Chappell
Artist’s website: https://www.rowanrheingans.co.uk
The first single, ‘Fire’ – live:
Click here for Rowan’s tour dates.
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