"City of Refuge, her second album, is a compelling and soulful update of traditional folk. Harrington's voice is strong and thin, like the young Emmylou Harris'. She has a knack, like Gillian Welch, for writing new tunes for the Carter Family songbook."
FOUR STARS!
"connecting with the ghosts of American folk music"
FOUR STARS!
"Ghost town sound; plain, pretty voice, stark banjo - Harrington, like early Gillian Welch, sounds like she stepped out of the old, sepia photo on the cd sleeve ... Beguiling."
Her last album The Bootlegger's Daughter received a lot of praise (from Bob Harris in particular) and her follow up is likely to do so also ... she again manages to evoke an earlier era ... City Of Refuge is the kind of place, as displayed here, where many would like to spend some time getting acquainted with the residents."
" ... Harrington's music often sounds like it could date from the 1850s ... a rough-hewn country voice songs with a rural setting that touch on love and death. Some are traditional, some original, but the old-timey feel remains constant. The playing is stellar, and Harrington convincingly re-creates the sound of a mountain singer."
FOUR STARS!
"Rachel Harrington has a gift of making the old new again ..."
"It's been a great year for old-timey artist Rachel Harrington. Her sophomore release, City of Refuge, hit No. 1 on the Euro-Americana radio chart and had a good showing in the States as well. City [of Refuge] features fresh arrangements of traditional tunes ... But it's Harrington's own songs ... that will steal your heart [and] send chills down your spine.
FOUR STARS!
"Scary bluegrass ... Gothic tracks on an inspiringly original album ... Q recommends!"
"... a brilliant example of old-time country ... you’ll feel like you are listening to a collection of songs cut in the Depression era. Rachel, on this album at least, seems more determined than [Gillian] Welch to not let any other genre intrude in her vision. She is making music that belongs to another time and place"
INTERVIEW ON DUTCH NATIONAL TV:
with Rachel & Zak, from July 2008 European Tour.
"Those (me) who worry that Gillian Welch is going to nod off mid-song and wish she’d pick it up a half step will find much to enjoy with Harrington’s new disc. It’s dusty, rustic and a decade or two out of time and in its own way, just in time. Bittersweet folk steeped in sepia makes this perfect for a winters day of listening."
"On this second album she's penned some enthralling stories ... subtly adorned in old-timey acoustic arrangements ... [City of Refuge is] a classic American album!"
"the singer-songwriter who is captivating the hearts of Britain and Europe ... an ancient resonance combined with a modern feel"
FOUR STARS!
"Rachel Harrington's The Bootlegger's Daughter was one of the more impressive albums of 2007 and certainly among the best debuts; City of Refuge moves the Oregon-bred singer-songwriter to a new level."
" ... City of Refuge casts an almost hypnotic spell ... Harrington sings plaintively, the simplicity of her delivery driving an utterly persuasive summoning of spiritual courage, as a small string band saws away behind her. Together she and it address the uneasy coexistence of the temporal and the eternal. You don't have to be a believer to believe her ... Harrington's approach serves to translate Appalachian folk forms into a universal language only passingly linked to any particular time or space. Harrington is as much a literary artist as a musical one ..."
"This is old time country ... from a by-gone era ... the mood of the album is sombre, and in her own way she is singing the blues ... highly recommended"
"Harrington's latest collection of sepia-tinted Americana ... doesn't immediately reveal its treasures. Instead, it's a slower altogether more satisfying process as, gradually, with repeated play, the subtle quality and understated nature of the performances begin to resonate powerfully. O'Brien's fiddle embroiders the bulk of the material with as fine a stitch as could be, while dobro, mandolin and upright serve the songs well. Harrington is in fine voice ... delightfully evocative original material"
"In Rachel Harrington’s second album City Of Refuge, Portland, Oregon has produced yet another utterly absorbing musical experience ... compelling sepia-hued yarns ... spotlessly soulful country vocal"
"City of Refuge sounds like it came off a John Lomax recording from the Appalachian area during the FDR era ... a heavy reliance on banjo and fiddle, giving this an even sweeter sound, completely complementing Rachel’s exquisite voice"
9/10 STARS!
"... as good an example of traditional Americana as you’ll find anywhere ... a great storyteller ...It’s been a good year for Americana already, and Harrington has just made it a lot better."
" ... it's a thrill to discover a new performer who really does have a new slant on all things Alt.Country-related, which Oregon native RACHEL HARRINGTON surely has ... fascinatingly grainy ... dips even deeper into Americana's bulging burlap sack and emerges with some arcane, but wonderfully fatalistic treasures which are all well worth coveting."
FIVE STARS! "... traditional style, she opens with her golden voice ... Although she doesn’t have to prove anything anymore, Rachel Harrington brings us once again 10 terrific tunes and makes sure that everyone understands she is a great artist."
"Mixing country, folk, bluegrass, and old-time, Rachel Harrington is a treasure waiting to be discovered!"
"Rachel's blessed with a really attractive (and suitably ballsy) voice and ... totally convinces with the sheer directness and clarity of her lyrical expression and ... the pure unadorned beauty and gritty confidence of her vocal tone ... an abundantly fine new set from this enchanting chanteuse."
"Harrington has tapped into the authentic vibe and style of a bygone era, favorably measuring up to Gillian Welch's best work"