Beguiling and imaginative second from Boston-based singer, musician and dancer.
Sophie Wellington was born and raised in Virginia but moved to Boston to attend the renowned Berklee College of Music. On Her Bright Smile Haunts Me Still, Wellington is the only performer laying down guitar, fiddle, vocals and percussive dance. Their style involves blending a lot of influences as well as applying the methods from one instrument to another to create what they describe as a quilt of American folk music.
The record is their second full-length release. One of the most striking things about the album is a sense of space where, despite quite a lot going on, the music and the vocals leave a lot of room for the listener to reach in and appreciate the different dimensions of each piece. A spell of stillness in a busy world. That said, the percussive dance tracks create a sense of movement which can be quite infectious at times.
As far as the music itself goes, here is how Wellington describes it: “This album is the culmination of developing old-time and ballad music for guitar and for a different harmonic space. I grew up around old-time fiddle and guitar music, but I’ve always been passionate about jazz as well, and as I’m getting older, those streams have started to cross a bit. Guitar offers so much in terms of harmonic and rhythmic structure when accompanying a melody, which is also at the heart of fiddle playing as it differs from classical violin playing. I’ve been exploring a lot of alternate tunings, and trying to apply that melodic approach to the old-time music that’s been in my blood my whole life.”
The album comprises ten tracks, of which half are songs and half instrumentals. The forms alternate throughout, starting with The Scolding Wife, in which their guitar takes the melody across a percussive dance track evoking a sense of movement as the tune progresses. The first song is a version of Vermont folkie Pete Sutherland’s Shacks And Chalets with its observations of inequality in the Appalachian coalfields through the metaphor of where the people live. Wellington’s take on the song is quiet and descriptive, echoing the fatalism in the lyric.
The next instrumental is Charleston No 1, again a combination of picked guitar and percussion, although a short set of chords adds a softer feel to the tune. The second song, In Seaport Town, is a ballad known under many names and having its roots going back several centuries. The purity of Wellington’s voice contrasts with the darkness of the story. There are some sweet instrumental breaks adding to the sense of unhurriedness characteristic of the record.
The third instrumental, Jack Of Diamonds, sees Wellington playing with form, creating an unusual ambience. It leads into another old-time song, Shirt Of Lace, which has its roots in Appalachia and the British Isles. The verse structure and Wellington’s vocal, enhanced by double tracking, take the listener on a hypnotic musical journey, although the lyric itself is much more contemplative.
First of August: The Rusty Gun sounds like a fiddle tune transposed to the guitar and with a driving percussion track. Next up is Wellington’s interpretation of Peter, Paul and Mary’s Autumn To May. Their vocal has an innocent, childlike quality to it.
The final instrumental, Black Pat’s Reel, was clearly written to be danced to, and Wellington’s dancer’s instinct retains that with its imaginative guitar parts. The album’s closer, and title track, is another old-time song. The song has Wellington’s delicate vocal at its centre and includes a couple of unaccompanied lines which only serve to spotlight the loss and loneliness at its core.
There’s a genuine freshness to Wellington’s music which makes it beguiling even for those not drawn deep into the folk world. This is a record that will sound equally gorgeous through open summer windows or around a winter fire.
