Dirk Powell - When I Wait For You
When I Wait For You features musicians drawn from both sides of the Atlantic, including Rhiannon Giddens (fiddle, banjo), Sara Watkins (fiddle, vocals), Sean Watkins (vocals), Powell’s daughter Amelia and Sophie on vocals, and members of the Transatlantic Sessions house band, Donald Shaw (accordion, piano, production), Mike McGoldrick (flute, whistle), John McCusker (fiddle) and James Macintosh (drums). Powell’s frequent involvement in the Transatlantic Sessions led him to have a high opinion of that group of players from Irish and Scottish traditional backgrounds: “They have so much love in what they do and for my music they are some of the people who have understood it the most. I really do consider them a musical family of mine because there’s just an understanding there that really does speak the language that I speak.”
The title of the album is taken from the chorus to the opening track, Everything Is Alright, which reflects on the value of waiting ‘when a love is true’. For Powell the track is representative of his approach to the whole album: “When I Wait For You is more introspective than my last one Walking Through Clay. It’s much more of a loving kind of record. When I wait for you could be waiting for somebody in the course of a single night, but they never show up and it’s OK, or for years you’re waiting for somebody in your life or even waiting for some kind of revelation.”
The musicians on When I Wait For You provide a similarly broad range of styles to carry and illuminate the songs. Olivia has echoes of 1960’s swamp pop, The album’s only traditional song, The Silk Merchant’s Daughter, has a fuller, folk-rock sound, with rousing choir adding to the drama of the song. Sara Watkins sings a gorgeous duet with Dirk on The Little Things, complemented by simple guitar, fiddle and flute. A Cajun tune, Les Yeux De Rosalie, was written by Mike McGoldrick, with French lyrics written by Powell. The playing is uncluttered and subtle throughout. Powell describes the musicians as: “Choosing the soulful path every time.”
When I Wait For You is an intimate, accessible album which Powell says is: “A loving kind of record, in a way more of an offering than my previous records.” There is a shared spirit at play, together with a beguiling, down-to-earth tenderness throughout, which makes When I Wait For You unmissable. It is a powerful reminder of why Dirk Powell is so highly regarded by his musical peers and roots music fans alike.