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(2021) Joseph Allred - Branches and Leaves
Review:
Here’s an irony for you. Joseph Allred, who throughout the pandemic has broadcast home performance videos on social media like a man with a mission, spent the months immediately prior to the initial lockdown fashioning an immaculate, mostly virtual ensemble. If only he’d known what was coming, maybe he’d have spent the winter of 2019-2020 getting use out of a ski pass or seeing movies in theaters, knowing that soon enough he would have plenty of time to finish up Branches and Leaves. But guess tho’ we might, the future is dark to us all until it stops being the future. And the work that Allred put into polishing up this album has undeniably paid off, for while no single album can give a measure of his diverse talents, there’s no better place to start. The easiest bumper sticker to apply to Allred’s box of records is American Primitive, and in a time when the term has come in for criticism, he’s a staunch defender. But it doesn’t begin to cover what he does, for in addition to playing open-ended, mystically evocative steel stringed acoustic guitar instrumentals, Allred also plays harmonium, lute, oud, banjo, piano, a handy selection of percussive instruments, and (if you catch the right Instagram video) an electric guitar that is connected to a robust chain of pedals. He also sings in a voice that flexes inside knowledge of sanctified Protestant music. That voice has never sounded better than it has on Branches & Leaves. Listen to the acapella performances of “When the World’s On Fire” (aka “Rock of Ages”) or “Scoundrel,” a song that he recorded not that long ago for the double LP, Hoddmímis Holt. The voices are arrayed just right to create the effect of a choir of Josephs, not just an overdubbed chorus, projecting immaculate conviction. This suggests that his improvement as a singer have been accompanied by corresponding advances in his facility as a recording technician, a hunch borne out by the depth and clarity of the instrumental overdubs on “Redbud Winter,” or the balance between field recordings and banjo on “On The River Bank At Night.” They earn their place next to the record’s small number of actual ensemble performances. You might be wondering, though, if all this praise of polish just means that Allred has fashioned his Gaucho? The sheen and skill do not smother the music, they just mean that this record isn’t only made for people who confuse a wool blanket’s scratchiness with its warmth. Wider world, meet Joseph Allred.
Track Listing:
1.Branches and Leaves 04:19
2.Redbud Winter 04:08
3.On the River Bank at Night 02:27
4.Scoundrel 02:53
5.The Music Box 01:33
6.When the World's on Fire 02:10
7.Can't Feel at Home 03:02
8.Little Dreams and Fancies 02:30
9.O Little Bird 02:41
10.When They Lay Me Down 04:20
Media Report:
Genre: alternative folk
Country: USA
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits
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