| Revival | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 9, 1996 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | Country, folk, bluegrass | |||
| Length | 41:21 | |||
| Label | Almo Sounds | |||
| Producer | T Bone Burnett | |||
| Gillian Welch chronology | ||||
| ||||
Revival is the first album by American singer-songwriter Gillian Welch, released on April 9, 1996. Revival was nominated for the 1997 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. [1]
The plant described in the song, "Acony Bell" appears to be Shortia galacifolia , also known as the Oconee bells. Welch later began her own record label under the name Acony. To celebrate the album's 20th anniversary, Welch re-released Revival as Boots No 1: The Official Revival Bootleg which included demos, outtakes and alternate versions of the tracks in addition to eight new songs.
Josh Jackson of Paste Magazine wrote: "Gillian Welch and her musical partner may have hailed from Los Angeles and Rhode Island, respectively, but they arrived on the alt-country scene in 1996 as if they’d just melted out of Depression-era Appalachian Mountain ice." [2]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Chicago Sun-Times | |
| Entertainment Weekly | A [5] |
| Los Angeles Times | |
| Rolling Stone | |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
| Uncut | |
| The Village Voice | B− [10] |
Mark Deming of AllMusic called it a "superb debut" and wrote, "Welch's debts to artists of the past are obvious and clearly acknowledged, but there's a maturity, intelligence, and keen eye for detail in her songs you wouldn't expect from someone simply trying to ape the Carter Family." [3] Bill Friskics-Warren of No Depression praised the album as "breathtakingly austere evocations of rural culture." [1] Ann Powers of Rolling Stone gave Revival a lukewarm review and criticized Welch for not singing of her own experiences, and "manufacturing emotion." [7] Robert Christgau wrote Welch "just doesn't have the voice, eye, or way with words to bring her simulation off." [10] Josh Jackson of Paste Magazine wrote: "Every subsequent album has contained alt-country gems, but it’s nearly impossible to surpass this perfect debut." [11]
All tracks are written by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Orphan Girl" | Gillian Welch | 3:57 |
| 2. | "Annabelle" | Gillian Welch | 4:03 |
| 3. | "Pass You By" | 3:57 | |
| 4. | "Barroom Girls" | 4:14 | |
| 5. | "One More Dollar" | 4:34 | |
| 6. | "By the Mark" | 3:40 | |
| 7. | "Paper Wings" | 3:57 | |
| 8. | "Tear My Stillhouse Down" | Gillian Welch | 4:32 |
| 9. | "Acony Bell" | 3:06 | |
| 10. | "Only One and Only" | 5:33 |