Singer Gillian Welch was cherished by fans of American roots music before the general public discovered her as one of the performers on the unexpectedly successful soundtrack of (2000), between greats like , and . Welch's music is more difficult to place than the ones mentioned above; it is a personal and unique blend of folk, country, blues and rock. Both her voice and the accompaniment have been
… stripped of all frills, so that the music retains a certain purity. Gillian's fourth album Soul Journey sounds more bare than ever. On some tracks only Welch can be heard with her guitar, other songs are recorded in a minimal line-up, with her soul mate and producer as the main group member. At these moments, the sound of Soul Journey is reminiscent of the dry production of 's solo albums at the time of . Enthusiasts know enough. (MS)more
