Produced by David Rawlings, The Harrow & The Harvest marks Gillian Welch's first album in eight years. This collection of ten new, all-acoustic tracks captures her signature blend of raw, rootsy storytelling and meticulous craftsmanship.
After an eight-year hiatus, Gillian Welch returns with The Harrow & The Harvest, an album that feels like a soulful deep dive into the gritty heart of American roots music. Welch’s throaty, resonant contralto is spellbinding across these ten acoustic tracks, produced with raw, unfiltered emotion by longtime partner David Rawlings. From the haunted bluegrass of “Scarlet Town” to the moody sway of “Dark Turn of Mind,” Welch delivers a unique blend of traditional blues and rustic harmonies, proving once again that she defies labels—she’s simply in a league of her own.
Praised by Uncut Magazine as “a timeless country classic,” The Harrow & The Harvest is celebrated as Welch’s most traditional work yet, with the only drawback being how rarely she shares new music. Welch and Rawlings, who first crossed paths at Berklee College of Music and later moved to Nashville, have since become icons of the Americana community. Their influence resonates across generations, with artists like Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, and Solomon Burke among the many who have recorded their songs, honoring Welch and Rawlings as masters of folk and country storytelling.