The record captures Rawlings in his natural setting, where haste reads as spontaneity and the exposed seams are part of the appeal. A Friend of a Friend plays like a rough, intimate live album instead of a polished studio affair. As a producer, he keeps things loose and lively, mixing covers with originals. And he has a spry, jumpy guitar style that lends his arrangements some bounce. As a performer, he makes good use of his distinct, reedy tenor (imagine a twangier Loudon Wainwright). But Rawlings takes the lead on every track, as a singer and picker.įor nine songs over 40 minutes, Rawlings proves fascinating company - a good man to share a front porch with. Welch herself appears on almost all of these songs, either singing harmony or playing guitar, as do several other musician friends. So his debut as Dave Rawlings Machine is either a case of him stepping up, or everyone else stepping back. As a hired gun, he’s played sideman to artists following in Welch’s wake or creating their own: Sara Watkins, Ryan Adams, Bright Eyes, Guy Clark, Mark Knopfler and Jay Farrar, among others. For more than 12 years, the Nashville-based musician has toured, written and recorded with Gillian Welch, exploring the well-worn byways of country, bluegrass and stringband music while making the old-timey sound new. It’s hard to believe A Friend of a Friend is David Rawlings’ first album under his own name. Longtime sideman takes the lead with first solo album
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