[rating=8.00]
“There is just one thing/I can’t understand, my friend/why some folks think freedom/ is not designed for all men,” sings Rhiannon Giddens in a fiery voice as she covers “Freedom Highway” a song the Staples Singers recorded back in the 1960s. Giddens teamed up with singer-songwriter Bhi Bhiman and the duo recorded their own spirited version of the song for Giddens’ sophomore solo album. Inspired by the freedom marches from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965, “Freedom Highway” sounds as relevant today as it did during the height of the civil rights movement. Thus making it the perfect title track for this album; a work in which freedom is at the forefront as Giddens explores racial strife from the days of slavery to our current times.
A powerhouse vocalist, fiddler and banjo player, Giddens has always had a strong sense of purpose in her music. This dates back to her work with the Grammy winning string band, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, a group that brought attention to the overlooked contribution of African-Americans to folk music. On her 2105 debut solo album “It’s My Turn” she covered the work of female artists including neglected musicians like Elizabeth Cook. That album brought Giddens great acclaim and secured her status as one of the finest singers working today.
When it came time to record a follow-up, she headed down to Louisiana to record with multi-instrumentalist Dirk Powell. Powell co-produced “Freedom Highway” with Giddens and also co-wrote three of the album’s songs. Giddens hadn’t done a lot of songwriting prior to this release but wrote or co-wrote nine of the tracks here The songs which comfortably fit in between covers by Mississippi John Hurt and Richard Farina, teeter between heartbreak and hope as Giddens urges us to confront the past as we struggle in the present.
One of the standout tracks “Julie,” is built around a conversation between a slave and her mistress and was inspired by the book “The Slaves’ War,” by Andrew Ward. When Giddens who was trained in opera, wails out the final line “Mistres oh Mistress I wish you well/In leaving here, I’m leaving hell,” the listener can’t help but be jolted by the power and conviction in her voice.The song also showcases Giddens’ skill on the banjo. “At the Purchaser’s Option,” a quiet folk song, is also written in the voice of a slave.
Giddens assembled a fine group of musicians to work on this album including Hubby Jenkins and Leyla McCalla who she worked with in the Carolina Chocolate Drops. Most of the songs here are based from the old time folk music that she is known for, but this the disc also includes traces of gospel, country and even jazz. “Hey Bebe,” is a saucy creole romp that sounds straight out of New Orleans, while “Baby Boy is a mournful lullaby.
“Better Get It Right the First Time,” is the disc’ most contemporary sounding tune as Giddens embraces a pop rock sound that would do Beyonce proud to tell the story of a Trevor Martin styled shooting of an innocent black boy. Giddens’ nephew Justin Harrington interjects some rapping into the song to provide it with even more edge.
“Freedom Highway” is an ambitious album that not only is a testament to Giddens’ impressive musical talent but is an important work with a timely message that resonates during these turbulent times. While these songs express great pain, in these words there is also hope and a call to action. And when Giddens sings”Made up my mind/ that I won’t turn around,” on the aforementioned title track we know she means it.
