The considerable promise carried forth on Gillian Welch's first two albums is thoroughly fulfilled on Time (the Revelator). Welch has traded the guidance of her previous producer, T-Bone Burnett, for the sympathetic studio skills of her longtime guitarist-harmony singer David Rawlings, who loosens the reins just enough to allow moments of spontaneity to sparkle within the duo's spare, eloquent playing.

Time (the Revelator) is an instant classic, perhaps the first great American folk song of the 21st century. "I Want to Sing That Rock and Roll" is three minutes of Louvins / Everlys-style bliss. "April the 14th, Part 1" haunts its historical context with an achingly melancholy melody. It all leads up to the epic 14-minute "I Dream a Highway", one of the finest closing tracks ever put on record.