''Revival'' is the first album by American singer-songwriter Gillian Welch, released on April 9, 1996. ''Revival'' was nominated for the

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. The plant described in the song, "Acony Bell" appears to be ''

Shortia galacifolia ''Shortia galacifolia'', the Oconee bells or acony bell, is a rare North American plant in the family Diapensiaceae found in the southern Appalachian Mountains, concentrated in the tri-state border region of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, North C ...

'', also known as the Oconee bells. Welch later began her own record label under the name Acony. To celebrate the album's 20th anniversary, Welch re-released ''Revival'' as ''Boots No 1: The Official Revival Bootleg'' which included demos, outtakes and alternate versions of the tracks in addition to eight new songs.

Music

Josh Jackson of '' Paste Magazine'' wrote: "Gillian Welch and her musical partner may have hailed from

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

, respectively, but they arrived on the

alt-country Alternative country (commonly abbreviated to alt-country; also known as alternative country rock, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative) is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that diffe ...

scene in 1996 as if they’d just melted out of Depression-era Appalachian Mountain ice."

Reception

Mark Deming of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

called it a "superb debut" and wrote, "Welch's debts to artists of the past are obvious and clearly acknowledged, but there's a maturity, intelligence, and keen eye for detail in her songs you wouldn't expect from someone simply trying to ape the Carter Family." Bill Friskics-Warren of '' No Depression'' praised the album as "breathtakingly austere evocations of rural culture." Ann Powers of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' gave ''Revival'' a lukewarm review and criticized Welch for not singing of her own experiences, and "manufacturing emotion."

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

wrote Welch "just doesn't have the voice, eye, or way with words to bring her simulation off." Josh Jackson of '' Paste Magazine'' wrote: "Every subsequent album has contained alt-country gems, but it’s nearly impossible to surpass this perfect debut."

Track listing

Personnel

* Gillian Welch – vocals, guitar * David Rawlings – guitar, vocals, bass, Optigan * James Burton – guitar, National Steel guitar * Armando Campean – bass * Buddy Harman – drums * John Hughey – pedal Steel * Roy Huskey Jr. – bass * Jay Joyce – E-Bow, guitar * Jim Keltner – drums * Greg Leisz – dobro, Weissenborn * T Bone Burnett – Optigan

References

{{Authority control 1996 debut albums Gillian Welch albums Albums produced by T Bone Burnett