I'm with Her named themselves long before
Hillary Clinton adopted the phrase as a campaign slogan in 2016, so the folk supertrio of Sara Watkins, Aoife O'Donovan, and Sarah Jarosz don't necessarily have a political component to their name. Veterans of the modern folk, bluegrass, and string scenes, Watkins, O'Donovan, and Jarosz are too seasoned to make such an obvious gesture and, indeed, the charm of their 2018 debut,
See You Around, is that it is a subtle affair filled with gently shifting melodies and supple harmony.
See You Around takes its time to come into view -- the opening title track doesn't begin to gel until nearly 40 seconds into its running time -- but that deliberateness conveys a sense of confidence as well as ease. This is an album that doesn't hurry. It follows the contours of a soft breeze, sometimes picking up a little bit of momentum -- the hushed blues of "I-89," the instrumental fiddle tune "Waitsfield" -- but generally swaying and holding still. This delicateness isn't fragile; there's a strength within the close harmonies and the sighing instrumentation, traits that give the music a firm backbone even when the volume is quiet, which it often is. All of these elements -- the fleet, natural interplay, the songs so finely crafted they feel like they've been discovered -- reflect the skilled professionalism of
I'm with Her but also their distinct chemistry. While
See You Around recalls work Watkins, O'Donovan, and Jarosz have done before, none have made an album quite as exquisitely shaded as this.
