Rhiannon Giddens appears on the cover in a classic, simple and beautiful way, somewhere between Stax and Blue Note. But the singer, who has just been awarded a Pulitzer Prize for her opera (exactly: opera!) “Omar”, can also feed the visual claim in terms of content. And in this playful manner, with which she strikes many chords of the great American music canon in twelve of her own songs. There is probably no other artist who can pay homage to Dolly with “If You Don’t Know How Sweet It Is” as cheekily as Aretha with “Too Little, Too Late, Too Bad”, even if her high pitched voice almost at first bizarre before it draws in the necessary depth.
Classically simple and beautiful
As “Hen In The Foxhouse” she comes across as subtly funky and still finds time for a little scat in between after the opposite sex has been put in their place – to then celebrate a Broadway ballad with “Who Are You Dreaming Of”. Jason Isbell was only too happy to accept the invitation to sit on Giddens’ front porch for “Yet To Be”.
SIMILAR REVIEWS
Birdy :: “Portraits”
Perfectly produced drama pop
Hozier :: Unreal Unearth
Sacred pathos-pop featuring Dante
My Ugly Clementine :: “The Good Life”
Consistent post-punk with a love for pop melodies
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