Woodland

Woodland is ultimately about these two people, these two voices, and these two guitars. Never is it more moving than when there are simply playing together the way they might at home, blurring the line of who is singing lead on “Howdy Howdy” or who is picking which note on “The Bells & The Birds”. Adding new flourishes to their core sound, Woodland is a beautiful addition to their catalogue. [Oct 2024, p.63]

There’s no doubting the gravity of what Gillian Welch and David Rawlings sing about across Woodland. For this reason, the album’s lovely, unlikely closer feels particularly subversive.

The quality doesn't let up. [Dec 2024, p.109]

Woodland brilliantly enacts these themes as Gillian Welch and David Rawlings solidify their status as iconic American folk, roots, and country music storytellers. The record carries a quiet presence that is both powerful and fleeting. It is a beautiful addition to their already storied creative partnership.

Woodland continues their mastery of earthy country-folk songwriting that nods to tradition but is ultimately timeless and deeply human.

What sets Woodland apart from the rest of the duo’s remarkable catalog is its quiet adventure and clear empathy, qualities that give the sense that Welch and Rawlings are building a new structure upon an old foundation.