Claire Lynch returns after a six-year hiatus with a set of crisp, contemplative songs. An artist of considerable maturity, Lynch is seasoned enough to take on titles such as “Long After I’m Gone” and “I Believe In Forever”. Still, the overall mood is not heavy. She swings, grooves, glides and whispers her way through twelve songs, using bluegrass orchestration as a vehicle to interpret material as varied as the Osborne Brothers’ straight grass “Up This Hill And Down” and the dB’s rocker “White Train”.
Even with bassist Missy Raines and guitarist Jim Hurst backing her again, along with versatile newcomer David Harvey on mandolin, there’s a decided freshness to Lynch’s sound. Hurst and Raines have gelled into a formidable duo on their own; their potent mix of funk and virtuosity perfectly complements Lynch’s sensibilities. Stuart Duncan (fiddle), Rob Ickes (dobro), and Larry Atamanuik (drums) also are on hand, along with Charlie Cushman and Alison Brown on banjo.
An excellent writer herself, Lynch contributes three songs. She also borrows from such Music Row stalwarts as Pat Alger (“Be Ready To Sail”), Dennis Linde (“Train Long Gone”), Pierce Pettis (“Love Will Find You Again”), and Mac McAnally (“Only Passing Through”). The resulting collection suggests a life spent in constant motion — by boat, on foot, especially by train — and the certainty of an afterlife where the traveling doesn’t stop. In the meantime, she reminds us, wisely, to love often, look to the future, and “leave something that matters.”
