David Eugene Edwards continues to amaze me, and over the years has put together one of the most impressive music catalogs of any artist. The latest release from 16 Horsepower, Folklore, just furthers that idea in my mind. Picking up where he left off with his Woven Hand side-project, Edwards and the gang seem to be headed in a decidedly more acoustic direction. The loud guitars and throbbing bass are mostly gone, but the sound has also taken a much darker turn. Hard to imagine, but true. Things aren't getting any brighter in DEE-land.
The disc starts off with "Hutterite Mile," the first of many truly haunting tunes, and one of only four original tunes present. They then move into a traditional Hungarian tune, "Outlaw Song," in which DEE very effectively sings from the point of view of one being hunted by the law. The band also does a nice cover of Hank Williams's (Sr., not Jr. or III) "Alone and Forsaken" as well as version of the Carter Family's "Single Girl" that does A.P. and Mother Maybelle proud.
On the Tuvan folk song "Horse Head Fiddle" Edwards and company provide an instrumentation and vocal delivery that, while not actually qualifying as Tuvan throat singing, effectively mirrors that tradition. This is followed by the American traditional tune "Sinnerman."
The beauty of this disc is that one could listen to it and never knew which songs were original and which were traditional folk songs. Edwards has so steeped himself in the culture of folklore and traditional music (American and otherwise) that his own compositions co-habitate quite seamlessly with the songs of his musical forbears.
With Folklore, 16 Horsepower continues to produce music that is distinctly their own, while growing and moving in new and exciting directions.
4 tocks
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2003Reviewed by Brian A. SmithFolklore, by its title, would imply that this album is comprised of traditional songs, perhaps with new arrangements, somewhat in the vein of O Brother Where Art Thou? This is partially true - four of the songs contained here are traditional songs, while Hank Williams and the Carter Family are also represented. 16HP also has composed four new tunes with the same sensibilities of their…Opus 2002Reviewed by Chris Brown16 Horsepower is a band branded by the singular vision of David Eugene Edwards. His is a dark, apocalyptic world where the flesh and spirit are locked in constant struggle, where Edwards howls out his fractured visions couched in droning banjos, fiddles, and pounding rhythms. What people often miss when they focus on Edwards, however, is that 16 Horsepower is a band that constantly revises their…The Phantom Tollbooth 2002Reviewed by Chris FlierFolklore does create some confusion. Keyboard player and guitarist Steven Taylor has left the band and the remaining three 16 Horsepower members have promptly banned loud guitars from their new album. Only a few weeks after David Eugene Edwards' solo project Woven Hand the fourth album of the 16hp's is released. For Folklore 16 Horsepower has picked four original compositions and six pieces of…Similar sounding releases
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