In her relatively short career, Abigail Washburn has covered a lot of ground; both physically and metaphorically. Bouncing between China and Appalachia has informed much of her musical output and influenced a body of work that goes far beyond the usual claw banjo repertoire.
Her Rounder debut, City Of Refugee is a sublime marriage of old-time and indie-pop. On the album Washburn pairs venerable folk elements with far-flung sounds, and the results feel both strangely familiar and unlike anybody's ever heard before.