Personnel: Seth Avett (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, piano, Hammond b-3 organ, glockenspiel, drums, percussion, background vocals); Scott Avett (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, banjo, piano, Hammond b-3 organ, drums, percussion, background vocals); Joe Kwon, Joe Kwon (cello); Mark Daumen (tuba); Benmont Tench (piano, harmonium); Bob Crawford (electric bass, percussion, background vocals); Simone Felice, Mike Marsh (drums); Justin Glanville, Lenny Castro (percussion); Sarah Swan McDonald (background vocals).
Audio Mixer: Ryan Hewitt.
Liner Note Author: The Avett Brothers.
North Carolina sibling duo the Avett Brothers return in 2009, fresh off a few years of building a cult following for its melodic and rootsy alt-bluegrass sound, with the subdued I AND LOVE AND YOU. The opening single and title track basks in piano-pop splendor in an odd mix of Beach Boys, Byrds, and the Band.
The Avett Brothers continue charting the same musical course as EMOTIONALISM and MIGNONETTE on major-label debut I AND LOVE AND YOU, despite the presence of hands-on producer Rick Ruben. The country-folk duo continue to add elements of pop and hillbilly rock to a country/bluegrass foundation on the 2009 LP, a record with a newfound emphasis on piano and nuanced arrangements. Working with a larger budget allows the group to add small flourishes -- a cello line here, a keyboard crescendo there -- but the resulting music is rarely grand, focusing on textures rather than sheer volume. Scott and Seth Avett share vocals throughout the album, delivering their lyrics in a speak-sing cadence that sounds both tuneful and conversational. Given the opportunities presented here -- the ability to flank their melodies with string sections, organ swells, and Harmonium -- the two devote more focus to slower songs, eschewing the barn-burning bouncefests of their previous albums for material that better displays such sonic details. The result is an intimate, poignant album, laced with rich production that enhances, not clouds, the songwriting itself.
Longtime fans held their breath when Rick Rubin took the Avett Brothers under his wing. What would the co-head of Columbia Records -- a man known for his business savvy, rap-rock production, and resurrection of Johnny Cash -- do with a small-time folk trio from North Carolina? The answer is "relatively nothing," as the band's major-label debut continues charting the same musical course as Emotionalism and Mignonette. The Avett Brothers have steadily expanded their reach since 2000, adding elements of pop and hillbilly rock to a country/bluegrass foundation, and they carry on that tradition with I and Love and You, whose songs introduce a newfound emphasis on piano and nuanced arrangements. Working with a major label's budget allows the group to add small flourishes -- a cello line here, a keyboard crescendo there -- but the resulting music is rarely grand, focusing on textures rather than sheer volume. Scott and Seth Avett share vocals throughout the album, delivering their lyrics in a speak-sing cadence that sounds both tuneful and conversational. Given the opportunities presented here -- the ability to flank their melodies with string sections, organ swells, and harmonium -- the two devote more focus to slower songs, eschewing the barnburning bouncefests of their previous albums for material that better displays such sonic details. The result is an intimate, poignant album, laced with rich production that enhances, not clouds, the songwriting itself. ~ Andrew Leahey

Rolling Stone (p.81) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "I AND LOVE AND YOU is packed with complex, piano-based beauties."
Spin (p.90) - "The have always evoked the Band's MUSIC FROM BIG PINK, but this album's epic sweep and dramatic lyrical imagery enlarges that influence to the scale of arena-rock sing-alongs."
Billboard (p.84) - "[T]he song 'Heart Full of Doubt, Road Full of Promise' is a swelling epic with a title to match..."
Paste (magazine) (p.52) - "The Avett Brothers are experts in mining the heart and soul of the modern American man....They've constructed something beautiful..."