Songs from the River Wind

Singer-songwriter and activist Eliza Gilkyson follows up her politically charged 2020 release titled, poignantly enough, 2020, with a collection of songs that turn the other cheek in a decidedly different direction. Gilkyson has referred to Songs from the River Wind as a ‘love letter to the Old West,’ which perfectly describes these 13 heartfelt odes to people, places and experiences from the artist’s years as a travelling musician. Initially based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and then Austin, Texas, Gilkyson is back in New Mexico in Taos where the Songs from the River Wind sessions were recorded.

The opening track, ‘Wanderin’’, is a sweet, quiet, softly-paced adaptation of an Irish ballad, which her father, Terry Gilkyson, recorded with his band, The Easy Riders, in 1958. The song expertly captures the wanderlust that compels so many musicians, though not often articulated from a woman’s point of view. Gilkyson deftly wields her singing voice, which combines a breathy delivery and delicate articulation, to impart precisely the appropriate emotional resonance to match the setting. Whether interpreting a classic folk song, such as ‘Buffalo Gals’, or performing one of her originals, like ‘Taosena Lullaby’, Gilkyson breathes sparkling insight and sincerity into every performance.