They're Calling Me Home belongs to a class of albums inspired by the global COVID-19 pandemic of 2020.
Rhiannon Giddens and
Francesco Turrisi found themselves locked down in their newly adopted home of Ireland, far away from their respective birthplaces in America and Italy. Some traces of homesickness settled in, intertwining with meditations on mortality and the meaning of home, ideas that fuel
They're Calling Me Home. The past pushes into the present, traditional melodies are revived alongside new compositions that feel ancient, and folk traditions from America and Europe are blended so they're difficult to parse.
Giddens and
Turrisi pulled off a similar trick on their first collaboration, 2019's
There Is No Other, yet
They're Calling Me Home has its own distinct vibe, one that is directly tied to the COVID-19 lockdown. The pair find comfort within each other, yet they cannot shake the yearning for other people and places, a complex set of emotions that were quite universal during 2020 and 2021 and are richly conveyed on this soulful, searching album. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine