City of Refuge is a surprising album from Abigail Washburn. It’s not surprising because it’s a crazy fusion of Appalachian music and Chinese folk songs—she’s done that already. It’s not surprising because it features the talents of banjo-god Bela Fleck—she’s done that too, with the ground breaking Sparrow Quartet. It’s surprising for a whole passel of other reasons. It appears that our beloved banjo picking girl has gone all indie rock on us. Kid’s these days, right? Yep, Washburn has added some distinctively non-string band instrumentation to her sound, including electric guitars, keyboards, pump organ, trumpet, and most significantly drums. What is most surprising about this turn to the mainstream-ish indie rock sound is how well it works and how seamlessly Washburn has changed directions. I doubt she will lose many of her string band fans. In part because Washburn hasn’t abandoned the parts of her sound that has made her back catalog so distinctive. There is still plenty of claw-hammer banjo playing, glorious vocal harmonies, and a fiddle romps from former Uncle Earl band mate Rayna Gellert. So while she has embraced a whole other world of sounds, the album is still very distinctively an Abigail Washburn record and my favorite one to date to boot.
Teaming up with producer Tucker Martine (MMJ, Bill Frisell, Sufjan Stevens) and penning half the new songs with Bobby Bare Jr. collaborator Kai Welch was half the battle for Washburn. She also took advantage of her Americana street rep and brought in a pretty impressive list of collaborators and special guests including member of Old Crow Medicine Show, My Morning Jacket (guitarist Carl Broemel), and the Decembrists. Jazz guitar deity Bill Frisell also makes an appearance, though its unclear which tracks he contributes to versus Broemel. The extensive list of collaborators alone should give you a sense of Washburn’s wide palette.
Listening through the album a couple tracks stand out for me on initial listenings.
“City of Refuge†is the title track and form what I can gather the ‘single’ for the record. It begins with just Washburn’s voice and claw hammer before developing to include a beautifully stalking drum, harmony vocals, and other ambient noises. It’s gorgeous and instantly intoxicating.
“Chains†is very indie rock-bluegrass-R&B-pop-jazz lounge…..ah hell, it’s just very. The cool chorus of “running out of time, standing still/ something’s gotta change or nothing will/ you gotta leave your home/ rattle all your bones and shake off your chains/ all of your chains/all of your chains/ all of your chains†sticks with you.
“Ballad of Treason†begins with the lines “this kiss is a crime/ let’s not waste time/ cover of night is breakingâ€. A gorgeous love song duet between Washburn and Kai Welch, the song is supported by some wonderful dramatic moments orchestrated by a string session and some well timed trumpet.
“Divine Bell†is the penultimate track and finds Abigail Washburn going back into old-timey mode. The song has a melody that I am practically certain originated in a Carter Family song, but am unable to find the title of said song. Regardless, it’s pretty awesome with some killer background vocals by Ketch Secor and a big thumping stand-up bass that I’m gonna guess was supplied by M0rgan Jahnig.
The closing “Bright Morning Stars†begins with some ambient noise before clearing the way for Washburn’s unadorned vocal. Met after a couple of lines by male vocalist, the two duet acapella for what could go on forever. I love gospel songs and this one can give you chills. The voices are eventually supported by some light ambient guitar background and some gorgeous fiddle interplay, but nothing distracts from the majesty of the song.
About the author: Specializes in Dead, Drunk, and Nakedness..... Former College Radio DJ and Current Craft Beer Nerd