Leylines

2019 studio album by Rising Appalachia

Leylines

Studio album by

Rising Appalachia

Released

May 3, 2019

Studio

Panoramic House
(West Marin, CA)

Genre

Appalachian folk, world, soul

Label

Independent

Producer

Joe Henry

Rising Appalachia chronology

Alive
(2017)

Leylines
(2019)

The Lost Mystique of Being in the Know
(2021)

Leylines is the sixth studio album by American Appalachian band Rising Appalachia. The album was produced by Joe Henry, recorded over ten days in Marin County^[1] studio Panoramic House,^[2] and released on May 3, 2019.^[3] Leylines was ranked on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart, peaking at No. 22 for the week ending May 18, 2019.^[4] Singer-songwriters Ani DiFranco and Trevor Hall, as well as jazz trumpeter Maurice Turner, are featured on the album.^[3]

Background

The single "Resilient" was released on May 1, 2018.^[5] and received favorable reviews from NPR Music^[6] and Rolling Stone.^[7] The "Resilient" video, which features dancers Quentin Robinson, Justin Conte, Lukas van der Fecht, and Amy Secada, was reviewed by Bob Boilen for NPR Music's All Songs TV,^[6] and by Steph Castor for the June 2018 issue of Girl Guitar Magazine.^[8]

Critical reception

The theme of Leylines is interconnectedness. In an interview, Chloe Smith said that the word 'leylines'

... alludes to magnetic points of spirit, energy, history, and power in various parts of the world. Unique connections that are more subtle than linear, if you will. We always sense connections between far removed places, and our album is a reflection of that with the layering of Appalachia, Ireland, and West Africa. We wanted to weave lines of connections aurally with both traditional music from those places as well as contemporary lyrics..."^[9]

The album was reviewed by George Graham in The Graham Album Review, who wrote:

Rising Appalachia’s new album Leylines [...] is an outstanding recording by another group who takes what is basically folk music and turns it into something quite eclectic. The group has a lot of strengths, not the least of which are the excellent sibling vocal harmonies, but also includes the mixture of southern banjo and fiddle, with world percussion and African string instruments. The material is also a nice combination of creatively arranged traditional songs with their original pieces, some imbued with social commentary. It’s all very tastefully performed.^[10]

Individual tracks

The song "Harmonize" was released early as a music video which was featured by Rolling Stone.^[3]^[11] The song "Cuckoo" was featured in Paste,^[3]^[12] the song "Sunny Days" was featured in Relix,^[3]^[13] and the song "Speak Out" was featured in Brooklyn Vegan.^[3]^[14] The final track "Resilient" is a full band version of the single first released in 2018 as a duo performance and music video.^[3]

Track listing

Rising Appalachia (2019). Leylines (CD). Independent.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"I Believe in Being Ready"		2:10
2.	"Harmonize"		5:08
3.	"Speak Out" (feat. Ani DiFranco)		3:56
4.	"Love Her in the Mornin'"		7:36
5.	"Shed Your Grace" (feat. Trevor Hall)		3:40
6.	"Sadjuna"		5:16
7.	"Make Magic"		5:07
8.	"Sassafras"		4:01
9.	"Sunny Days"		3:32
10.	"Cuckoo"	Traditional	5:20
11.	"Indigo Dance" (feat. Maurice Turner)		3:27
12.	"Resilient" (full band)		5:46

References

Citations

^ O'Heffernan 2019.
^ Leylines at Discogs
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Hartshorn 2019.
^ Billboard: Rising Appalachia
^ GGM Staff 2019.
^ ^a ^b Boilen 2018.
^ Parton et al. 2018.
^ Castor 2018.
^ Kaplan 2019.
^ Graham 2019.
^ Hudak 2019.
^ Johnson 2019.
^ Relix staff 2019.
^ Sacher 2019.

Works cited

Boilen, Bob (May 15, 2018). "Rising Appalachia Write A 'Resilient' Anthem". All Songs TV. NPR Music. Retrieved 2021-08-21.
Castor, Steph (June 2018). "Rising Appalachia: Using music is a tool and a catalyst for betterment in our communities". Girl Guitar Magazine. Retrieved 2021-08-21.
GGM Staff (May 6, 2019). "Rising Appalachia releases Leylines, produced by Joe Henry; Announces new tour dates". Guitar Girl Magazine. Retrieved 2021-08-21.
Graham, George (July 3, 2019). "Rising Appalachia: Leylines". The Graham Album Review (#1998). Retrieved 2021-08-21.
Hartshorn, Tori (May 3, 2019). "Rising Appalachia Releases LEYLINES, Produced By Joe Henry". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
Hudak, Joseph (February 14, 2019). "See Folk Duo Rising Appalachia's Sun-Kissed Video for 'Harmonize'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
Johnson, Ellen (March 20, 2019). "Exclusive: Listen to Rising Appalachia's New Song "Cuckoo"". Paste. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
Kaplan, Harriet (October 2, 2019). "An Interview with Rising Appalachia". Live Music News & Review. Retrieved 2021-08-21.
O'Heffernan, Patrick (May 13, 2019). "Rising Appalachia's Ley Lines [sic] blends cultures and harmonies into pure bliss". Music Junkie Press. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
Parton, Chris; Hudak, Joseph; Moss, Marissa R.; McKenna, Brittney; Gage, Jeff (May 17, 2018). "10 New Country Artists You Need to Know: May 2018". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
Relix staff (April 19, 2019). "Song Premiere: Rising Appalachia "Sunny Days"". Relix. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
Sacher, Andrew (April 29, 2019). "Ani DiFranco guests on new Rising Appalachia song "Speak Out"". Brooklyn Vegan. Retrieved 2021-12-29.