As a longtime Americana and folk fan I am pretty stoked to see the recent resurgence in interest around this style of music. The best examples are American stories told through the lyrics as well as the instruments. There’s the gentle crying of a fiddle, the slow moan of a Dobro, the pecking of a banjo…the atmosphere of the story is set and is as important as the substance of the tale.

With increased interest can also come increased posing. This is a music that has a low tolerance for inauthenticity (even if it tends to attract more than its fair share of pretenders and false accents). The good stuff comes through. The cream rises and well…the rest sinks.

And so when I see a quote of praise from none other than Emmylou Harris, I take notice:

“Alice Gerrard has one of those voices that harkens back to the likes of Sara and Maybelle. She is the real deal with the right stuff and hasn’t forgotten where country music came from.”

–Emmylou Harris (June, 2014)

Indeed. Gerrard’s take on “Boll Weevil” hits all the right notes—literally and figuratively. From the new album Follow the Music, produced by M.C. Taylor of Hiss Golden Messenger, this is how we welcome autumn around here.

Well known in folk circles for decades, it’s great to see Alice Gerrard getting some attention from the younger generation.