When some of your favourite artists suddenly get together to form a ‘supergroup’, expectations rise exponentially about the calibre of music the name band can be expected to deliver. And whilst it is a subjective judgment, not many people would claim that CSNY or Cream, to take just a couple of examples, failed to realise their collective potential., although there are many that have.
In acoustic roots music, the expectations are pretty much the same except that artists often form collaborations as part of their musical journey (examples too many to mention) and they do it as a one-off or as part of a short tour and so on. And they almost never fail to deliver. That might have been the case with I’m With Her, a spontaneous name given to three women who just decided to try out such a collaboration on an impromptu basis at The Telluride Bluegrass Festival in 2014. And it turned out so well that they are still together now and even though they have only released one album, they have secured a Grammy award for their 2020 single ‘Call my Name’.
Sara Watkins is an ace fiddle player who was a member of the trio Nickel Creek (for seven albums)with her guitarist brother Sean and superstar mandolinist Chris Thile), then went solo in 2007 (four solo albums) while still appearing with Watkins Family Hour (three albums), a family band that plays regularly at Largo in LA with various guests (Benmont Tench, Fiona Apple, Greg Leisz etc).
Sarah Jarosz is a multi-award winning mandolinist and singer-songwriter, with possibly the sweetest voice in acoustic music, whose 2024 album ‘Polaroids‘ (her seventh) will be on many people’s Best 2024 list. She has appeared with a vast array of artists in live collaborations and on recordings. Her 2016 album ‘Undercurrent’ won Grammy for Best Folk Album and the track ‘House of Mercy’ won Grammy for Best American Roots Performance.
Aoife O’Donovan is a singer-songwriter and acoustic guitarist whose varied career has been as lead singer for the Wayfaring Strangers and the more well-known Crooked Still from 2001 to 2011 (with whom she released six albums and one EP), for the Dave Douglas Jazz Quintet and fronting a number of classical orchestras in live performance (most recently at the Barbican in London with The Guildhall Session Orchestra in June). This was in presentation of her latest album (her sixth plus 4 EPs) ‘All my Friends’, broadly about the experience of women in politics in America during the last 100 years.
‘Call my Name’ is a co-write by all three members of I’m With Her’ (yes, the impromptu name lived on) and explores the tensions in even the most loving relationships – the ‘push and pull’ according to Jarosz, ‘the flustered feeling you get when balancing a relationship’, said O’Donovan.” I’m a wandering woman, I’m a tired light I’m a soul second guessing out in the night
But baby we can change, and you know I’m gonna hear you cryin’ when you call my name”
It was created while the girls were all in mid-tour and produced by famed producer Mike Elizondo, who created a sonic background substantially of subtle Wurlitzer, drums, bass and fiddle. This is one of the first live versions of the song. Don’t be surprised if the hairs on the back of your next stand up!
