Some songs stick with us, like old friends, songs that return at key times in life to bring back memories of what's passed and feelings of where we're heading. Allie Jean Burbrink's beautiful ballad "Across the Great Divide" has long been one such song. Allie invites listeners to follow along with her own journey through life and hear the song with fresh ears.
Allie's relationship with "Across the Great Divide" dates back to 2009, at the beginning of her bluegrass journey, and in a particularly personal chapter during her chemotherapy treatment. The song quickly transformed into a source of strength and a touchstone of connection, mainly as the sweet sound carried her through some of her first pivotal performances with The Whipstitch Sallies (2010-2016), the celebrated Indiana-based folk/bluegrass band that first introduced Schott's soulful voice and multi-instrumental prowess to broader audiences.
Allie leans into that history with a warmth in her new release that's at once familiar and fresh. Her vocal interpretations are intimate, reflecting the character of Kate Wolf while also embodying her own unique qualities in each song. Combined with her inimitable instrumental agility on guitar, clawhammer banjo, harmonica, and other instruments, she plays with lightning ease. There is no doubt that she sounds like a dialogue spanning a century or more, where tradition meets individuality.
Allie's "Across the Great Divide" is a personal declaration of survival, sense of place, and the infinite wellspring of solace and community that music provides. For people, like me, who have been listening to folk music for a long time and who may be new to it, her version offers a pause, a reminder that even when the gap feels enormous, there's always music waiting to take you across.