Gillian Welch, Time (The Revelator) (2001)

A lot of things happened in 2001. Both iTunes and Wikipedia were launched. NASA landed its first space shuttle on an asteroid. Crown Prince Dipendra of Nepal killed his parents, turned the gun on himself, survived the suicide attempt, and since there was no immediate successor to the throne, he became, for three days, the King of Nepal, though he was in a coma the whole time and died on the third day. And of course Gillian Welch released her third studio album, Time (The Revelator).

Wikipedia tells me she's out of Nashville. (Are you familiar with this lovely singer-songwriter?) She does country and bluegrass, but she has a very traditional sound. The New Yorker described her as "at once innovative and obliquely reminiscent of past rural forms." How's that for tepid, middlebrow praise?

I'm about halfway through Time now. It's not bad, but I'm sad to say it's nothing special either. It's like watching a competent pitcher. If someone were to put on this album, I wouldn't be offended. In fact, I would think it's quite pleasant, just as I would feel if someone were to put on a Nickel Creek album. My disappointment, I suppose, is there's nothing special here. What's she doing with the form that a hundred other artists couldn't do? I'm not sold on her, but I do know I'd much rather hear her sing than Taylor Swift.