Bonny Light Horseman Wrap Up Another Sweet & Soothing Winner On ‘Rolling Golden Holy’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

credit: D. James Goodwin

Bonny Light Horseman’s strong self-titled debut pulled from ancient folk songs, resulting in an indie-folk winner. Now on the group’s follow-up Rolling Golden Holy, the band has tightened up and crafted ten original outings that meld past with the present in a sweet-sounding fashion. 

The trio of Anais Mitchell, Eric D Johnson, and Josh Kaufman make up the band and for these recordings, the talents of drummer JT Bates and bassist/saxophonist Mike Lewis are also front and center. On their first album, these East Coast-based songwriters were scouring the wind swept past and rocky shores of the United Kingdom for inspiration, now they have done what a lot of groups tend to do, turn West into the setting sun.  

The first single “California” is a clear road map to where this album is headed, and while the world might not need more easy rolling, Laurel Canyon influenced, pop/folk songs, about California, Bonny Light Horseman does deliver a pleasant one; it isn’t called The Golden State for nothing. 

That overwhelming positivity and sense of pleasantness are everywhere on Rolling Golden Holy. “Summer Dream” continues the Sunday morning feeling with gorgeous vocals, soothing strums, and a front and center slow pulling harmonica. The duet of “Comrade Sweetheart” does its title justice, balancing love/friendship around growing old with a partner while “Gone by Fall” uses twinkling acoustic guitars to describe fleeting summer relationships that slip into the title trap. 

Less successful is opener “Exile” which is blissful, but one note, while “Sweetbread” (inspired by the traditional “Rye Whiskey”/”Jack Of Diamonds”) is the most rock this folk outfit conjures up with percussion stomps, banjo, saxophone, and electric guitar runs. Even the harshest, lamenting lyrics on “Someone to Weep for Me” (which could easily fall into a dour plea) are delivered with bright harmonies around shiny backing strings and an upbeat groove; produced by Kaufman, each sound contained on the album is vibrantly alive. 

As things wrap up the band starts to flirt with more experimental offerings. “Fleur de Lis” builds slowly, adding squirrely electric guitars but ultimately stays in the pocket while album closer “Cold Rain and Snow” returns east, to at least Philadelphia, reminding of a folk version of The War On Drugs with excellent electric guitar riffs and beautiful harmonies around pristine production. 

The perfect backyard, sunset watching summer folk album, Rolling Holy Golden faces west as Bonny Light Horseman enjoy those tender fleeting moments while they float through our collective consciousnesses, smiling the whole time.  

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