California Morning
Coast Ridge, 2023
8/10
The debut album from a free spirit who embraces folk, bluegrass, old-time sounds and classic country ideas, Rachel Anne Goodman surrounds themes of love and forgiveness, and she’s got some excellent help, too, for these 9 originals.
“I Still Do” opens the listen with Steve Palazzo’s warm guitar and Joe Weed’s cozy fiddle complementing the folk/bluegrass beauty, and “Slow Time Down” follows with a quicker pace of country sounds that welcome Missy Raines’ elegant bass to the heartfelt delivery.
In the middle, the aching fiddle and viola from Niamh Varian-Barry helps cultivate a peaceful landscape of soothing song craft on “California Morning”, while “Where Did The Animals Go?” showcases Dan Freehette’s expressive banjo and guitar alongside Goodman’s vivid storytelling.
The last 2 tracks, “Alta Vista” and “Tell The Truth”, are equally great, where the former uses John Reischman’s skilled mandolin with much care, and the latter is a fuller album highlight that touches on ‘80s folk-rock thanks to Donogh Henneseey’s guitar, Laurel Thompson’s fiddle and Martin Ditcham’s drums.
Although this is her first album, Goodman is no stranger to music, and has been teaching singing at camps, has been a DJ for 40+ years, and plays in the bands The Coast Ridge Ramblers and Stone Circle. Her songwriting stays true to her home in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California, and the top notch players help illuminate her timeless songwriting could certainly soundtrack a campfire evening, just as it could an intimate pub.
Travels well with: Caroline Cotter- Gently As I Go; Katie Dahl- Seven Stones