Long renowned for a faithful adherence to the Appalachian folk music tradition in many of their solo works as well as their collaborations as a duo, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings have announced the release of All The Good Times, a 10-track sampling of acoustic cover songs.
Recorded at home on a reel-to-reel tape machine, the album — released to streaming on Friday — features the works of legendary songwriters including Bob Dylan (“Señor,” “Abandoned Love”), John Prine (“Hello in There”), Elizabeth Cotton (“Oh Babe It Ain’t No Lie”) and Norman Blake (“Ginseng Sullivan”), along with their fresh arrangements of traditional tunes such as “Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss” and “Poor Ellen Smith.” Taking its title from the traditional song recorded by artists including bluegrass legends Ralph Stanley and Jimmy Martin, the forthcoming LP also includes Welch and Rawlings stepping into the iconic shoes of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash for a cover of the duet “Jackson.”
The spirited collection closes with an ironic cover, in light of current social distancing restrictions. “Y’all Come” is an oft-recorded (from Bing Crosby to Little Jimmy Dickens to synth-pop duo Hyperbubble) country tune about visiting neighbors and kinfolk “comin’ by the dozen” to visit with one another, offering a hopeful coda in uncertain times. All The Good Times is available now.
All the Good Times tracklist:
1. “Oh Babe It Ain’t No Lie” (Elizabeth Cotton)
2. “Señor” (Bob Dylan)
3. “Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss” (Trad. arr. Gillian Welch & David Rawlings)
4. “Hello in There” (John Prine)
5. “Poor Ellen Smith” (Trad. arr. Gillian Welch & David Rawlings)
6. “All the Good Times Are Past and Gone” (Trad. arr. Gillian Welch & David Rawlings)
7. “Ginseng Sullivan” (Norman Blake)
8. “Abandoned Love” (Bob Dylan)
9. “Jackson” (Jerry Leiber, Billy Wheeler)
10. “Y’all Come” (Arlie Duff)
