Song of the Traveling Daughter

Abigail Washburn - Song of the Traveling Daughter

Song of the Traveling Daughter
List Price: $12.98
Category: Music CD
See more CD details
Listen soundtracks from this album


Buy Song of the Traveling Daughter at Amazon.com
(Click here)
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store

CD Details

Artist: Abigail Washburn
Brand: Washburn
Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2005-08-02
Music Label: Nettwerk Records
Soundtracks:
  1. Sometimes
  2. Rockabye Dixie
  3. Coffee's Cold
  4. Red & Blazing
  5. Single Drop of Honey
  6. Eve Stole the Apple
  7. Who's Gonna Shoe
  8. Backstep Cindy/Purple Bamboo
  9. The Lost Lamb (Chinese)
  10. Nobody's Fault
  11. Halo
  12. Song of the Traveling Daughter (Chinese)
  13. Deep in the Night
  14. Momma

Music reviews of Song of the Traveling Daughter

Music Review: A cultural journey not to be missed.
Rating: 5 Stars

I have to admit being somewhat biased- I met Abigal at a festival some years ago and have been hooked ever since. I also have family ties to China, an additional draw. However, trying to be as objective as possible, it's truly an amazing mixture of Chinese and American cultures and a fresh take on American roots music. You may have to get over the percussive singing in Chinese, if you haven't heard anything like it before (probably the case), but Abby's voice is so powerful, expressive, and dynamic, it transcends any language barriers.

The instrumentation choices are different and superb, always complementing the vocals and each other. The players are very attuned to the music and it shows. The songs are crafted with much care.

Please also look for the Sparrow Quartet recording, if you like this. The creativity is ever evolving into more amazing, living, breathing things.

Description of Song of the Traveling Daughter

On Song of the Traveling Daughter, Abigail Washburn sings simple haunting songs and plays the banjo. Musically, the album is one of the most bare-bones debuts in recent memory. Washburn and fellow producers Reid Scelza and Bela Fleck keep the focus where it belongs: on the singer and the song. The arrangements were built around Washburn's evocative vocals and clawhammer banjo style, and Ben Sollee's cello, an instrument that brings a dark, primeval feel to songs that sound like they're hundreds of years old. The sparse instrumental work of guitarist Jordan McConnell (of the Duhks), upright bass player Amanda Kowalski, fiddler Casey Driessen, percussionist Ryan Hoyle (of Collective Soul), keyboard and accordion player Tim Lauer, along with Fleck's national steel guitar and banjo, add subtle grace notes to Washburn's timeless tales.

Song of the Traveling Daughter is an old-fashioned album with a simple, textured beauty that unfolds with repeated listening. There's a flow to the music that draws you in and immerses you in Washburn's unique worldview. While the album is studded with gems, several tracks stand out. "Rockabye Dixie" is a brokenhearted lullaby full of loss and longing, co-written by Beau Stapleton of Blue Merle. "Coffee's Cold" is a jaunty ragtime blues, with a bouncy bass line and exuberant vocal delivery. "Eve Stole the Apple" is the most atypical tune on the album, full of odd rhythmic accents. Part field hollar, part old English folk song; the tune is marked by an impressionist lyric that blends Biblical and folkloric images. "Deep in the Night" is a poetic exploration of darkness that features one of Washburn's most stirring vocals and the accents of Tim Lauer's accordion. "Song of the Traveling Daughter," one of Washburn's Chinese songs, and another album highlight, was inspired by the classical Chinese poem "Song of the Traveling Son." "It's actually harder to put English words to music than Chinese," Washburn explained. "Chinese is all one- or two-syllable words and most have open vowels at the end of the word, so the language almost sings by itself. If it has a closed sound it's usually something soft like 'teng' or 'mang.' If you listen closely to 'Song of the Traveling Daughter,' you can hear how easy it is to put them to music."

General CDs

Music Genres
Bestsellers in General CDs
Play On ImageCarrie Underwood - Play On
Release date: 2009-11-03; Music CD
Best price: $8.31
Price in other shops: $13.98
Haywire ImageJosh Turner - Haywire
Release date: 2010-02-09; Music CD
Best price: $9.91
Price in other shops: $13.98
Hillbilly Bone ImageBlake Shelton - Hillbilly Bone
Release date: 2010-03-02; Music CD
Best price: $3.98
Price in other shops: $7.99
Lady Antebellum ImageLady Antebellum - Lady Antebellum
Release date: 2008-04-15; Music CD
Best price: $10.02
Price in other shops: $18.98
My Best Days ImageDanny Gokey - My Best Days
Release date: 2010-03-02; Music CD
Best price: $8.48
Price in other shops: $11.98
Fearless ImageTaylor Swift - Fearless
Taylor; Release date: 2008-11-11; Music CD
Best price: $8.80
Price in other shops: $18.98
Downtown Church ImagePatty Griffin - Downtown Church
Release date: 2010-01-26; Music CD
Best price: $11.27
Price in other shops: $17.98
The Foundation ImageZac Brown Band - The Foundation
BROWN,ZAC BAND; Release date: 2008-11-18; Music CD
Best price: $10.00
Price in other shops: $18.98
Need You Now ImageLady Antebellum - Need You Now
Release date: 2010-01-26; Music CD
Best price: $9.44
Price in other shops: $18.98
American VI: Ain't No Grave ImageJohnny Cash - American VI: Ain't No Grave
Dig; Release date: 2010-02-23; Music CD
Best price: $8.49
Price in other shops: $10.98
Similar CDs
Long Steel Rail ImageRiley Baugus - Long Steel Rail
Release date: 2006-08-08; Music CD
Best price: $7.86
Price in other shops: $17.98
Hop High ImageCrooked Still - Hop High
Release date: 2007-04-24; Music CD
Best price: $9.99
Price in other shops: $17.98
The Duhks ImageThe Duhks - The Duhks
Release date: 2005-02-08; Music CD
Best price: $9.55
Price in other shops: $17.98
Shaken by a Low Sound ImageCrooked Still - Shaken by a Low Sound
Release date: 2006-08-22; Music CD
Best price: $9.49
Price in other shops: $17.98
Still Crooked ImageCrooked Still - Still Crooked
Release date: 2008-06-24; Music CD
Best price: $10.99
Price in other shops: $17.98
Learning to Bend ImageBen Sollee - Learning to Bend
Dig; Release date: 2008-06-10; Music CD
Best price: $8.88
Price in other shops: $12.98
Dona Got a Ramblin Mind ImageCarolina Chocolate Drops - Dona Got a Ramblin Mind
Release date: 2007-06-26; Music CD
Best price: $9.57
Price in other shops: $13.98
Waterloo, Tennessee ImageUncle Earl - Waterloo, Tennessee
UNCLE EARL; Release date: 2007-03-13; Music CD
Best price: $10.59
Price in other shops: $17.98
She Waits for Night ImageUncle Earl - She Waits for Night
UNCLE EARL; Release date: 2005-07-19; Music CD
Best price: $10.16
Price in other shops: $14.98
Abigail Washburn & the Sparrow Quartet ImageAbigail Washburn - Abigail Washburn & the Sparrow Quartet
Washburn; Release date: 2008-05-20; Music CD
Best price: $12.29
Price in other shops: $17.98
Compare prices and find music notes for more than one million Music CD titles