Mention Appalachia and most of us think of coal mining and the songs that tell stories handed down by generations of coal miners. With her new release, The Hills will CradleThee, Appalachian artist Lainie Marsh goes beyond the coal mines to capture the natural beauty of the mountains, the faith of the people living there, and the charm of life in Appalachia.
Emmylou Harris has described Marsh’s music as having “a bluegrass element lurking.” That element practically leaps out of the first track, “Jalopy,” a toe-tapping mandolin excursion telling the story of the classic argument between a man and woman over his old car. “Way Down” is another bluegrass track, this one with the banjo keeping up the tempo, while Marsh shows off her unique vocal style and range in a first class coal mining narrative. Harmonica fans will appreciate “A Ways to Go,” featuring Neal Hermuth.
“Motherlode” is rhythmic and bouncy, with lyrics comprised of fun, entertaining rhymes. Images of coon dogs, fish on a line, and garden rows waiting to be hoed pull the listener into the country setting. Another fun tune is “Hey Ludwig,” which pays tribute to a piano player who stays out too late and lives it up a little too much.
The first time the album slows down is on the track “Banjo Moon,” an enchanting ballad featuring banjo, fiddle and tambourine. Listening to this music you could dance all night under the “banjo playing in the sky” while a freight train whistles far away in the hills of West Virginia.
This project features a stellar cast of musicians, including fiddle and banjo picker Ketch Secor of the Old Crow Medicine Show, and pedal steel virtuoso Bucky Baxter. The musicians create a surprisingly different sound on “Little Samba Queen,” which mixes Brazilian rhythms and bossa nova guitar with banjo and mandolin. Marsh’s voice is the best yet, with multiple layers of emotions, singing lyrics of the hills and the mines with subtle references to South America while telling of a girl’s musical dream.
It is difficult to pick a favorite track on this album as each stands alone, yet weave together seamlessly to paint a picture of Appalachian life – the miners, the gospel influences, and the dreams of the people. The Hills Will Cradle Thee continues with its only sad song, “Dream of a Coal Miner’s Child,” a traditional song about a child’s fear for a father working in the mines. Marsh gives us a haunting depiction of the story and her voice becomes the child, while percussionist Paul Griffith conjures up the feeling of a perilous march to the mine, and fiddles sing woefully.Showing a sultry, smoky side to her voice in the romantic “Misty Juniper,” Marsh, and on piano Kent Goodson, longtime keyboard player with George Jones, sings a tune in the style of the great jazz standards with lyrics that complete that feeling through phrases such as “the falling leaves,” “the scent of evergreens,” and “your eyes gaze into mine.”
“Elijah’s Chariot” changes up the tempo again with a gospel theme and choir, recalling the Old Testament story of the prophet Elijah being carried up to heaven by a chariot of fire. This and lyrics in many of the other tracks, remind the listener of the powerful force of religion upon the Appalachian region.
Most everyone feels a kinship for the land they love, the place they call home. The final and title track, “The Hills Will Cradle Thee” sums it all up – Lainie Marsh knows where her heart lies. These eleven tunes will take your heart there too and the hills will indeed cradle thee.
http://lainiemarsh.com/
