CARLA GLOVER & FRIENDS - Williams Branch Is Hard To Find

www.carlaglover.com [Release date 02.10.26]

Attention all lovers of old American or traditional Americana music – this album is for you. Make a mark in your diary, it’s out Oct 2.

Written by Si Khan and featuring 10 different vocalists, including Carla Glover it follows four generations of hardy women from one Kentucky family – the semi fictional Walden- Johnson-Jones clan, who settled in Williams Branch in the early 1800’s.

I’ve always had a fascination for the old pioneering Americans, and how hard life must have been setting out in an unknown land with all the perils involved in such a venture, so this album sits right in my lap. It transports the listener immediately back in time, and evokes a more innocent but challenging time.

Each song comes wrapped in fiddles, mandolins, guitars acoustic, dobro and lap steel. All the vocalists, assembled by Carla Glover give their own unique take on the stories in this concept album.

The vocalists and musicians are all from Kentucky, so a very parochial album from that point, which is exactly the point. “I hope that it shines a light on Si’s particular genius along with the wealth of talented women in our state”, says Carla Glover, who also says, “ I am proud to have performed on it and produced it”.

Si Khan worked many years as a labour organizer and folk singer in the area and met many strong courageous women, and set about writing songs to honour them. I would say he achieved this ten fold.

Each song tells a story in it’s own right, from a young school teacher, to the daughter of a moonshine bootlegger, to a girl who’s father has a bit of mischief with a stranger looking for Williams Branch, and sends him on a long journey only to arrive back to where he was in the first place. An early form of vetting, to see if a man could follow directions.

Then we have a preachers daughter, and the whole cycle starts with the girls dancing with the Johnson boys. I don’t know if I have a particularly vivid imagination but I could see every song playing out like a movie in my mind. In fact musically it reminded me of Ry Cooder’s soundtrack to The Long Riders, and I was compelled to pull this album out and play it.Two great plays back to back.

Carla Glover has spent three decades making music that tackles issues both timeless and urgent, including labour, land and the struggles of mountain communities, earning her the Merlefest Chris Austin Songwriting Contest and the Kerrville New Folk Award.

Si Khan has spent sixty years as a civil rights union and community organizer, musician and author, and has had simultaneous careers as a musical theatre composer lyricist and book writer and an international songwriter and performing artist.

In collaboration the pair have produced an extraordinary piece of musical work, after spending years talking about how best to do it. Well they have done it, and you people can reward them by buying this unique 16 track album. ****

Review by Andy Sharrocks

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