Old light : songs from my childhood & other gone worlds

"Two women here [Gellert, Leah Abramson] whose new voices speak old-time truths and whose stellar songwriting heralds new and exciting possibilities ... Rayna Gellert is deeply rooted in the landscape and sound of mountain stringband music, a repository for old ballads and traditional fiddle tunes, her playing skills, and those of her banjo-toting father Dan celebrated in the old-time music community. With Old Light she set out to explore those sad songs and murder ballads that were deeply immersed in her consciousness from childhood. In the process, Gellert found herself striking off on an enlightening tangent, marrying traditional balladry (...) with her own new songs ... And they are beautiful - intelligently written and poignantly constructed, with a melancholic thread that connects them to the source material ... Just as with her subtle but pokey [fiddle] playing, her voice cuts to the heart - unadorned but beautiful".