Bonny Light Horseman

by Bonny Light Horseman

Overview

In a press release accompanying the debut album from the folk trio Bonny Light Horseman, singer and songwriter Anais Mitchell says, "The folk singer Martin Carthy once said, 'You can't break these songs that are hundreds if not thousands of years old; you're not gonna hurt them by messing with them.'" In a way, that sums up the guiding concept behind Bonny Light Horseman, though they don't mess with traditional folk songs so much as they give them a stylish makeover. Mitchell, the creator of the Tony Award-winning musical Hadestown, is teamed on Bonny Light Horseman with Eric D. Johnson, leader of the indie folk act Fruit Bats, and producer and instrumentalist Josh Kaufman, who has worked with the National, Craig Finn, and Josh Ritter. Rather than write original material, the trio cast traditional folk, country, and spiritual tunes in a new light by marrying them to arrangements that reflect the spare but resonant atmospherics of contemporary indie folk. In short, if you've wondered what the Child Ballads would sound like as performed by Bon Iver, Bonny Light Horseman deliver a reasonable approximation on their debut. (The comparison is fitting as the LP was released through Justin Vernon's 37d03d collective.) These interpretations favor the simple beauty of the melodies, though the vocals, lovely as they are, frequently buff off the sharp edges of the ballads with their slight sweetness, and even though the efforts to give these songs a modern tone is subtle and respectful, they also rob the tales of a bit of their strength by stripping them of their historical context. The result is an LP whose craft is pleasing and executed with tremendous care, but doesn't make the songs sound like the remarkable and enduring classics they are. Instead, Bonny Light Horseman resembles a somewhat above-average indie folk effort, not at all bad but not of lasting impact. Maybe they should have messed with this stuff a bit more. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	01/24/2020
Label:	37D03d
UPC:	0656605350653
Rank:	2108

Tracks

1. Bonny Light Horseman
2. Deep in Love
3. The Roving
4. Jane Jane
5. Blackwaterside
6. Magpie's Nest
7. Lowlands
8. Mountain Rain
9. Bright Morning Stars
10. 10,000 Miles

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Bonny Light Horseman   Primary Artist
Aaron Dessner   Hi String Guitar
Anais Mitchell   Vocals,Guitar (Acoustic)
Lisa Hannigan   Vocals
Justin Vernon   Vocals
Eric D. Johnson   Banjo,Piano,Vocals,Harmonica,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (12 String Electric)
Michael Lewis   Bass,Vocals,Sax (Tenor)
Kate Stables   Banjo
Logan Coale   Bass (Upright)
Emily Staveley-Taylor   Vocals
Bella Blasko   Vocals
Christian Lee Hutson   Guitar (Acoustic)
Barbara Jean Meyers   Viola
Josh Kaufman   Organ,Piano,Vocals,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
JT Bates   Drums,Vocals,Percussion
Jeremy Ylvlsaker   Guitar (12 String)

Technical Credits

D. James Goodwin   Mixing,Mastering
Anais Mitchell   Group Member
Eric D. Johnson   Group Member
M.C. Taylor   Composer,Liner Notes
Annie Beedy   Cover Photo
Bella Blasko   Engineer
Aaron Denton   Design
Josh Kaufman   Producer,Group Member
Bonny Light Horseman   Arranger,Composer
Jon Low   Engineer