“The distinguishing feature throughout is the couple’s caressing harmonies, which carry on the legacy of Johnny and June, Gram and Emmylou.” -- Maverick
“…the pair click together like an old belt buckle.” - - Independent On Sunday
“Welch and Rawlings apart – its hard to recall two modern country voices that dovetail as elegantly as this husband and wife team… A dream.” - – Uncut
“Authentic.” “Timeless.” “Harmonious.” “Exhilarating.” Any or all of these adjectives could describe the folk-rock sound created by Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion (eye-ree-un). The musical richness and psychological depth of their initial collaboration, the fittingly titled Exploration, is irrefutable proof that the disarming granddaughter of Woody/daughter of Arlo and the prodigious South Carolinian quite naturally bring out the best in each other.
The material – 11 originals plus a previously unrecorded Pete Seeger song – ranges from the stone country of “Swing of Things” and the high-lonesome folk of “In Lieu of Flowers” to the Burritos-style foot-stomper “Gotta Prove” and the rocking, biting social commentary of “Gervais.” Particularly striking is the title song, which looks out at an unsettling world from the sanctuary of a lasting relationship. The track builds to a crescendo of squalling guitars and thundering drums as Johnny and Sarah Lee sing, “Fear is what they want / Don’t let ’em get your goat… No risk can be plain / And the time is running off the clock.” At the other extreme is the gentle acoustic ballad “Mixed Blessings,” the incandescent capturing of an intimate moment in time. The distinguishing feature throughout is the couple’s caressing harmonies, which carry on the legacy of Johnny and June, Gram and Emmylou.
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