Valley Of The Heart’s Delight
Fluff & Gravy, 2023
10/10
Listen to Valley Of The Heart’s Delight
This sophomore album from the guitarist and singer-songwriter Margo Cilker contains themes of family and nature, where plenty of excellent help is present for the 11 folk influenced tracks.
‘Lowland Trail” opens the listen with warm strumming and Cilker’s bright voice alongside Jenny Conlee-Drizos’ melodic keys, and “Keep It On A Burner” follows with soulful horns thanks to Kelly Pratt, as Sera Cahoone’s well timed drums complement the expressive singing.
Further along, “Mother Told Her Mother Told Me” makes great use of Paul Brainard’s moody pedal steel for the dreamy album highlight, while the pretty “Santa Rosa” is full of vivid storytelling that uses Cilker’s gripping voice against graceful keys, frisky drums and Ben Walden’s spirited harmonica.
“Sound & Fury” and “All Tied Together” exit the listen, where the former contains a soothing breeziness that employs Caleb Klauder’s agile mandolin, and the latter is an acoustic guitar fueled finish that embraces the power and emotion of Cilker’s stunning vocals.
Sure, there’s plenty of artists meshing folk, Americana and country these days, but few are doing it like Cilker, whose mesmerizing voice, descriptive imagery and strong attention to detail makes each track here worth repeated listens.
Travels well with: Laith- Lightning; Jim White- Misfit’s Jubilee