''Wider Circles'' is the fifth studio album by American Appalachian band

Rising Appalachia Rising Appalachia is an American Appalachian folk music group led by multi-instrumentalist sisters Leah Song and Chloe Smith. Leah also performs as a solo artist. Based between Atlanta, New Orleans, and the Asheville area of North Carolina, the ...

. It was recorded at Echo Mountain Recording in

Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...

, and was released on July 17, 2015.

Background

Leah Song Leah Song (born Leah Smith) is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumental musician, storytelling, storyteller, poet, artist, and activist known for her role as one of the two frontsisters of Rising Appalachia — with younger sister Chloe S ...

coined the term "Slow Music Movement" while preparing for a TedX talk. During their ''Wider Circles'' Rail Tour, the band travelled by

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

train. Song connected this with the "Slow Music Movement", which she described as exploring the question as to how music can be a public service, saying:

Critical reception

Amy Lieberman, who reviewed ''Wider Circles'' for ''NYS Music'', wrote "Seamlessly covering the entire spectrum of musical genres, ranging from traditional music of the American South highlighting the banjo and fiddle, to world music featuring African drums, there’s something on this album for everyone to enjoy." Desdemona Dallas, reviewing for ''Lost in Sound'', noted that "Songs 'Medicine' and 'Oh Death' light upon the Smith sisters’ wordsmithing ways as slam poets." Thandiwe Ogbonna, writing for '' No Depression'', said John Malkin, writing for ''Spirituality & Health Magazine'' noted that "The inviting songs of ''Wider Circles'' focus on community, gratitude, and healing." Not all reviewers were enthusiastic; Jonathan Levitt, writing for ''

Blurt Blurt is an English post-punk band, founded in 1979 in Stroud, Gloucestershire. Background Blurt was founded in 1979 in Stroud, Gloucestershire by poet, saxophonist and puppeteer Ted Milton along with Milton's brother Jake, formerly of p ...

'' gave the album a 3-star review, yet summarized the album as "An organic chilled vibe that provides a much-needed antidote to the processed tripe found on the radio these days."

Track listing

References

Citations

Works cited

* * * * * * *{{cite web , last=Ogbonna , first=Thandiwe , date=April 29, 2015 , title=Rising Appalachia's Leah Smith on Wider Circles, the Rail Tour, & the Slow Music Movement , work= No Depression , url=https://www.nodepression.com/interview/rising-appalachias-leah-smith-on-wider-circles-the-rail-tour-the-slow-music-movement/ , access-date=2022-01-01 Rising Appalachia albums 2015 albums