Portland duo hit trad’ country paydirt with joyous third.
Caleb Klauder & Reeb Willms are steeped in the traditional sounds of country music, sounds that have changed little since first emerging in 1920s Appalachia and finding a nationwide audience along with a commercial/artistic home in 40s Nashville. They assert that country music is their “soul music”, a way for them to experience and communicate their stories and the emotions that go with them. A way for them to engage and connect with others on a truly meaningful level.
If that is the case then their new LP ‘Gold in Your Pocket’ must find Klauder and Willms in a real happy place as the record plays like a celebration of the many vicissitudes of the human condition and the humble appeal of connecting with others in a positive way. ‘Gold in Your Pocket’ has 13 songs of straightforward authentic storytelling that fix the listener with a light-hearted sense of energy and exuberance as the duo bounce, like Tigger, from one to the next.
Whilst the record does engage some of the darker themes we are used to in traditional music, it never does so in a way that is morose or gloomy. Songs that deal with the sad demise of loved ones, the difficulties of making a living on the land or the broken hearts of failed relationships are delivered through a jubilant lens of communal sing-alongs, ‘good times’ and collective friendship. Their cover of Jack Link’s ‘Sad Songs’ goes so far as to revel in a morose missive’s timeless ability to raise the spirits as Willms sings “So sing me a sad song to make me happy”.
The musical setting for these songs goes a long way to creating this mood, with simple uncluttered arrangements and a real sprightliness from all the players. This keeps the energy high and leaves space for us to find the attachments that are so central to the record’s theme. The sound draws on a traditional bluegrass set-up but added pedal steel, piano, electric guitar and drums give a real honky-tonk feel to much of ‘Gold in Your Pocket’. Not least the title track, which shuffles across the dancefloor like prime-time Ray Price.
Perhaps the key sonic element in the mix is Willms and Klauder’s harmonies, which have a lightness of touch coupled with a genuine intuitive gravity. The lead vocal duties are shared between the pair across the record but rarely does a song pass without the gorgeous interplay of their voices exuding the sheer joy of singing together. This is an idea that Willms captures in album highlight ‘All About Love’, where she eulogises the way that music remains a profoundly “innate thing, ancient and ingrained in us all”. The song neatly captures the idea of music as a joyous shared experience, something that is perfectly mirrored in their effervescent harmonies.
Klauder and Willms hail from Portland Oregon and have been central to that city’s flourishing country and old-time music scene. As such the duo have fashioned a distinctive corner in the Americana space. With a sound that is deeply rooted in old-time, old-school country, bluegrass, and Cajun. Imagine if Gillian Welch and David Rawlings were having a night off from the grubby pasture lands and were instead kicking up their heals in a roadhouse honky-tonk. But this is not some dusty attic-bound reproduction, it is bursting with a very contemporary life and energy. ‘Gold in Your Pocket’ is a joyous little wonder that radiates charm. It comes across as if they have just discovered the music and are revelling in its pure simplicity and effortless yet generous pleasures. Something that more of us will do when we get to hear ‘Gold in Your Pocket‘ for ourselves.
