Nora Brown – Long Time To Be Gone

Let’s be blunt: Nora Brown is a prodigy. At the ripe age of 16, she plays traditional Appalachian music on vintage and period-correct banjos, and sings like she was alive when the music was being made. Her latest record, Long Time To Be Gone, was recorded in the historic St. Ann’s Church in Brooklyn Heights (you can see the ceiling of this space beautifully photographed on the album artwork). Within the church walls, Brown and her engineers were able to experiment with different locations, each with their own character that would add a sonic fingerprint to the recording. The goal was to capture this expansive space on the album, which is done brilliantly. Furthermore, Brown utilizes a variety of instruments on the record, including an Luscomb banjo from 1888 that was owned by her great-great-grandfather and a 5-string banjo that is a part of the permanent collection at the Library of Congress. Ultimately, Long Time To Be Gone is a snapshot of a young artist beyond her years as she continues to carve her beautifully unique path in modern music. A true “must listen!” Released August 26, 2022; available on limited-edition vinyl, and high-resolution streaming on Qobuz.

Stand-out tracks: all of them!