The Way Forth

I just stumbled upon Rachel Grimes' new album, The Way Forth, and it's super fascinating. I'm gonna paste the first paragraph of the No Depression write-up on it because it explains much more articulately than I can.

On The Way Forth, Rachel Grimes (formerly of the band Rachel’s) brings her gifts as a pianist and composer to a new folk opera about Kentucky history. As Grimes pored over deeds and other documents from her home state, she mainly noticed what was missing: the accounts of women. Grimes filled in those spaces by inventing Kentucky women who lived from 1775 on and giving them stories. The album alternates between sung and spoken-word pieces, both featuring elegant string arrangements and full instrumentation. The effect is quite different than on Grimes’ previous solo albums, but the piano melodies are still unmistakably hers.

The music is just lovely, I'm listening to it right now as I type this. If you're familiar with Rachel's (her band) or Rachel Grimes' solo work, you'll know what I mean. The spoken-word pieces, especially, are emotional and kinda cinematic.

Pick up her album over at the great Temporary Residence, and you can stream/purchase it over at her Bandcamp page as well.