The Kronos Quartet have been making forward-thinking music for several decades now, weaving in and out of all types of classical and modern music repertoires. It may seem like they're playing it safe with a release like this. Covering traditional folk standards? Guest vocalists, including Natalie Merchant? Thankfully, the ending result is a fully engaging experience and not an overtly polite NPR snoozefest (sorry, NPR!). That's not to say this record is inaccessible--quite the opposite, actually. The Kronos Quartet are simply able to find austere, beautiful ways to approach these classic songs. Even with all of this restraint, there is a lot of excitement put into the song selection and arrangements, and the group always plays with a careful balance of precision and edge. Even with all of the excellent guest vocalists contributing, the song that arguably stands out the most is an instrumental rendition of Geeshie Wiley's haunting "Last Kind Words", with soaring violin parts taking the place of the vocals.
Folk Songs is further evidence of the range and fearlessness of the Kronos Quartet.
https://open.spotify.com/album/2ZSxyiSmqmpeC5I2D2XrnQ
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