From the recording Soar
Sometimes a song tells a story, about the listener, the artist, or what’s happening in the here and now. Sometimes it does all three. The Americana/roots inspired single, “All it Takes is Time” from modern folk duo, Joselyn & Don, is that sort of song. It uses the Missouri River in their native Montana as a metaphor for the forces that unite or divide us, from our closest relationships to partisan differences too big to cross. “I would swim out to meet you, if you would do the same,” Joselyn sings, in a soulful voice that hints of country, blues and confessional folk. Don’s “travis style” fingerpicked guitar perfectly complements her tenor ukulele, while outlaw electric guitar riffs cue the listener that there is more to this project than acoustic Americana. And indeed, the upcoming full-length album from Joselyn & Don is planted in American roots, and fittingly, branches out into folk rock, sophisticated ballads and soul.
Joselyn & Don have been making music as long as they can remember – just not necessarily together. The couple stayed busy - Joselyn with her African fusion band, ADAAWE and her work in arts education, and Don as film editor for “The Simpsons” and freelance trumpet player. Raising their young son, Joselyn found it tricky to balance motherhood and work, and put aside her original music for several years. But she always kept a pen and notebook handy to catch ideas as they came. Luckily, she found her best collaborator across the dinner table. It didn’t take much convincing for Don to pick up his Taylor guitar to interpret Joselyn’s piano arrangements, and co-write several new tunes. “It was clear that these songs needed to be out in the world,” he said.
The pair converted their garage in Los Angeles into a recording studio, filled with their collection of instruments and vintage gear. The upcoming album was recorded in their own Garden Studios, with Don on guitars, drums, horns and bass, and friends Eliza Jane Schneider and Janna Matteoli lending fiddle and background vocals. Besides her vocals and songwriting, Joselyn adds ukulele, keys and various hand drums. “This new project is rooted in my early upbringing in Montana listening to bluegrass and folk, and my connection to nature.” That connection features prominently in several songs on “Hollywood Angel,” and is told from a deeply personal point of view. “I’m writing better songs now than I did in my 20’s,” Joselyn shares, “Motherhood and the challenges I’ve faced in life have enriched my work. Being a musician and sharing your art should be something you can do at any age, because our experience of being human is constantly changing.”
Joselyn & Don are a refreshing new voice in modern folk, combining exceptional songs with strong musicianship, delivered straight from the heart.
Lyrics
The sun is sinking down between us
Casting her light on the shore
Leaves burn like fire, and dance like desire
My heart is yearning for more
The wind it cools as the shadows
Reclaim the river that was lost
My mind floats like a cottonwood ghost
As I wait for my lover to cross
I need love, love, love, like a river
Flowing between your heart and mine
How far it goes, nobody knows
But all it takes is time
All it takes is time
The canyon walls rise steep between us
The river cut them deep in the land
You stand on your side, and I stand on mine
Like the river is a line in the sand
I would swim out to meet you
You would do the same
It might carry us away, how far I could not say
But I hear it call my name
I need love, love, love, like a river
Flowing between your heart and mine
How far it goes, nobody knows
But all it takes is time
All it takes is time
Ooh, ooh ooh ooh, ooh ooh ooh
Ooh, ooh ooh ooh, ooh ooh ooh
I need love, love, love, like a river
Flowing between your heart and mine
How far it goes, nobody knows
But all it takes is time
All it takes is time