KAI WELCH

Nashville-based singer-songwriter Abigail Washburn is a fascinating conundrum. Steeped in Chinese culture, an expert at clawhammer banjo, respectful of old-time Americana yet equally driven to make contemporary music, she creates songs that feel both strangely familiar and unlike anything anybody's ever heard before. Her early recording work from 2004 included songs sung in Chinese that married venerable folk elements with far-flung sounds; it hinted at her earliest ambition, to become a lawyer that specialised in improving US-Chinese relations. But for her important 2011 album release City of Refuge, Abigail found two crucial new collaborators - respected indie-rock producer Tucker Martine (The Decemberists, Tift Merritt, Mudhoney) and singer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalist Kai Welch. Where Tucker conjured sounds that sat comfortably between folksie roots and raw indie soundscapes, Kai provided an essential foil for Abigail. He became her co-writer and singing partner, and although his sensibilities are closer to AM radio pop his ideas instinctively meshed with hers to provide extremely beautiful and appropriate results. There are no songs in Chinese on City of Refuge; instead there are more catchy hooks and grooves, a sublime marriage of old-time and indie-pop. If American old-time music is about embracing earlier, simpler ways, Abigail Washburn provides a revelation to that tradition.