Teddy Thompson carries a torch for Gillian Welch and David Rawlings

Teddy Thompson’s recommendation: “These two are the most blissful musical union since George and Tammy, Gram and Emmy Lou. Their sound though is closer to the Carter Family or The Louvins: spare, almost always acoustic and totally honest. The fact that neither is from the South probably only helped them avoid any of the Nashville sheen that has ruined modern mainstream country music. It’s tempting to classify them as retro sounding or a throwback to a bygone era but rather than being dated, it’s just timeless.”

New to Gillian Welch & David Rawlings? Teddy recommends you start here: “I’d say Time (The Revelator) is a good place to start if you’ve never heard them. I believe it’s their 3rd or 4th record. It has a bit of everything. Catchy “pop” tunes, My First Lover, Red Clay Halo. Dreamy love songs, Dear Someone. A blistering live recording, I Want To Sing That Rock n Roll. And the remarkable last song which clocks in at over 14 minutes, I Dream a Highway. Somewhere in the middle there’s also perhaps the best song about Elvis I’ve ever heard.”

More about Gillian Welch and David Rawlings

About our guest author, Teddy Thompson: Teddy is the son of folk legends Richard and Linda Thompson, so great song-writing is almost an automatic (not that we’re taking it for granted!). What really hooked us on Teddy is his ultra-smooth voice. We’re talking Roy Orbison smooth. We’re talking Chris Isaak smooth. We’re talking one-of-the-best-voices-in-the-pop-game smooth. His last outing, A Piece of What You Need is chock full of up songs, complete with bouncy bass and twangy guitars. No wonder The Guardian declared it “one of this year’s best” in 2008. Thompson’s next effort, Bella is coming out on Feb. 1 and is produced by David Kahne (The Strokes, Regina Spektor, Paul McCartney). Excited yet? Cruise over to the official Teddy Thompson website and sign up for his email newsletter for album and tour info.