Folksong (Live)

Fans of Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings’ musical accord will surely find familiar warmth in the organic tones and gripping vocal harmonies between folk music heiress Sarah Lee Guthrie (daughter of Arlo) and her husband, Johnny Irion. The opening serenade to spring, “When the Lilacs Are in Bloom,” exhibits two artists who obviously play music together as often as possible—their picking, strumming, and singing together are flawless. Even as talk of Emmylou Harris and Gram Parsons is thrown around, the comparisons to those legendary high-lonesome harmonies fit these two nearly perfectly. The bare quality of “In Lieu of Flowers” lets the listener home in on Guthrie and Irion’s inflections and perfect congruence. The two are also purveyors of stellar acoustic guitar tones. They prefer to microphone their instruments, resulting in a natural and organic resonance as heard on the rootsy “Eyes Like a Levee.”