Plow to the End of the Row
| Plow to the End of the Row | ||||
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| Studio album by Adrienne Young and Little Sadie | ||||
| Released | April 13, 2004 | |||
| Recorded | 2003 and 2004 in Nashville, Tennessee | |||
| Genre | Americana, Bluegrass, country, folk | |||
| Length | 48:54 | |||
| Label | AddieBelle | |||
| Producer | Adrienne Young and Will Kimbrough | |||
| Adrienne Young and Little Sadie chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |
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| Paste Magazine | link |
| WXPN | link |
Plow to the End of the Row is the 2004 debut album by Nashville, Tennessee-based singer/songwriter Adrienne Young and her band, Little Sadie.
After attending Belmont University in Nashville, Young worked for two years in various jobs on Music Row. "No one was interested in my music", she says. "I was working in the music business offices, and everyone around me was doing what they wanted to do. It was driving me crazy because I knew I could do it, but you can't save up the money to do a record when you're making seven or eight bucks an hour". Young was also determined to retain ownership of the rights to her songs and recordings, something that runs counter to the way the music industry typically works. In an e-mail to friend and philanthropist Wallace Rasmussen, Young confessed her frustration and admitted that she was thinking of returning to her home state of Florida. Rasmussen responded, "Do you really want to do music? Then you've got to plow to the end of the row".
Rasmussen fronted her the money to record and release Plow to the End of the Row on her own AddieBelle record label. An early version of the disc, released on a limited basis in 2003, featured several tracks that were ultimately dropped or re-recorded for the national release in 2004. That first configuration included backing from the old-time music band Old Crow Medicine Show. The second version was intended to feature Young's own band, Little Sadie, more prominently.
The packaging, designed by Jami Anderson, mimicked the style of the Farmers' Almanac and included a packet of wildflower seeds. It was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Recording Package. There were slight changes to the packaging for the 2004 version, most notably a photo of Young alone was replaced with a shot of her with the whole band. The 2004 Just Plain Folks Music Awards named Plow to the End of the Row Roots Album of the Year, and the track "I Cannot Justify" Best Roots Songs of the Year.
The music on the disc is intended to reflect the place of traditional values in a modern world. Both traditional and modern instruments are used in songs to exemplify the unique qualities typical of folk music: simple, direct lyrics and infectious melodies. Young's original songs are seamlessly interspersed with traditional songs. Her ballad "Conestoga" evokes the sound of America's western migration era, followed by the very modern electric guitar-and-bass production style of the breakup song "Poison". A few tracks later, the traditional "Soldier's Joy" itself evokes Gid Tanner and the Skillet Lickers.
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