Artist:     Eliza Gilkyson

Album:     2020

Label:     Red House Records

Release Date:     4.10.20

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Eliza Gilkyson. Grammy-nominated folk singer. Astounding songwriter. Fervent activist. Throughout her career, Gilkyson has combined all these aspects of her character; on 2020 she presents the totality of her love of and fears for humanity in one cohesive, meaningful narrative. From her debut album, 1997’s Redemption Road, to the stellar Nocturne Diaries, nominated for “Best Folk Album” of 2015, to her intimate collaborations with John Gorka and Lucy Kaplansky, Gilkyson has kept her writing, her singing, and her conscience resoundingly intact.

2020, Gilkyson says, “was born out of a visceral impulse to promote unity, commitment, and action while keeping our wits about us…” That it does. Combining the new and the old, she takes the reins from those who inspired her and makes an honest, relevant statement. “Peace in Our Hearts” is a ringing anthem that quietly screams unity and hope. “Gonna walk with every color and tribe with peace in our hearts… / Gonna stand for the earth and our children too with peace in our hearts… / Gonna stare into the face of the hateful mind with peace in our hearts…” She turns Woody Guthrie’s 1952 letter to Fred Trump into a call for sanity over the scourge of racism.

“One More Day” pleads for us to “learn to love again” while her soulful readings of “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” and “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” acknowledge that none of it is easy. In contrast, Gilkyson also paints a picture that highlights the love and beauty that surrounds us on “Beautiful World of Mine” and ends 2020 with a reminder that “together we are a family” and “we are not alone…” Prescient words indeed.

—Gene Knapp