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Thread started 11/17/17 4:45am

deebee

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Any Org love for Rhiannon Giddens?

I've been listening to Rhiannon Giddens's albums over the past few days, since I came across her on the website of one of my favourite local music venues. I'm liking what I've heard so far: she's a versatile vocalist with a powerful voice, and she slips convincingly between folk, country, gospel and blues. Her own songs are thoughtful, well crafted pieces, which often offer a window into historical narratives.

If I were fault-finding, I'd say that she doesn't quite bring the same grit and pathos to this sort of material as, say, Gillian Welch, and it can occasionally sound a little bit 'clean'. But there's certainly enough depth and bite in her work to make it compelling. I ended up buying tickets for her gig and I'm anticipating that her music will come across well in an intimate live setting.

Here are some favourites so far:





music

[Edited 11/17/17 6:57am]

"Not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed until it is faced." - James Baldwin
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Reply #1 posted 11/17/17 5:48am

OldFriends4Sal
e

LOTS of love for Rhiannon

I've been following her for the last 3-4yrs

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Reply #2 posted 11/17/17 9:17am

deebee

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OldFriends4Sale said:

LOTS of love for Rhiannon

I've been following her for the last 3-4yrs

I've only been on board for 3-4 days! boxed lol

Still, good stuff. Always nice to come across a talented artist one has missed.

"Not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed until it is faced." - James Baldwin
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Reply #3 posted 11/17/17 9:53am

OldFriends4Sal
e

deebee said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

LOTS of love for Rhiannon

I've been following her for the last 3-4yrs

I've only been on board for 3-4 days! boxed lol

Still, good stuff. Always nice to come across a talented artist one has missed.

She started out with a band the Carolina Chocolate Drops

She performed at the White House too, Michelle & Barack are fans

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Reply #4 posted 11/17/17 10:44am

Germanegro

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I like her. I missed earlier opportunities to see her with the Carolina Chocolate Drops, but have caught her on Austin City Limits and other musicians' shows. Old-school performances chock-full of historical and long cultural perspective. I feel she's doing a good part to keep the "Americana" scene as diverse as it should be!

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Reply #5 posted 11/17/17 12:09pm

Lammastide

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wave Fan boy here -- particularly of her Gaelwynd and other Gaelic-language work. I realize that ain't everybody's cup of tea, though.

I find the entire Carolina Chocolate Drop set pretty intriguing. If you haven't already checked out fellow Dropper Leyla McCalla's work, I'd definitely recommend it also. I'd argue Leyla serves up a wee bit more of the earthiness you suggest you occasionally miss in Rhiannon's output. Here are two songs from her Vari-Colored Songs album, a collection of works based on the poems of Langston Hughes:



[Edited 11/17/17 14:24pm]

Ὅσον ζῇς φαίνου
μηδὲν ὅλως σὺ λυποῦ
πρὸς ὀλίγον ἐστὶ τὸ ζῆν
τὸ τέλος ὁ χρόνος ἀπαιτεῖ.”
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Reply #6 posted 11/17/17 3:23pm

NorthC

I only know her from Dylan's New Basement Tapes project and she was the star of the show there... She's cool... Thanks for posting... cool
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Reply #7 posted 11/18/17 3:43am

deebee

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Germanegro said:

I like her. I missed earlier opportunities to see her with the Carolina Chocolate Drops, but have caught her on Austin City Limits and other musicians' shows. Old-school performances chock-full of historical and long cultural perspective. I feel she's doing a good part to keep the "Americana" scene as diverse as it should be!

Yeah, she did a TED performance/talk about the way the narratives in many of her songs come from her reading about American history. Nice version of 'Come Love Come' in there.

"Not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed until it is faced." - James Baldwin
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Reply #8 posted 11/18/17 3:59am

deebee

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Lammastide said:

wave Fan boy here -- particularly of her Gaelwynd and other Gaelic-language work. I realize that ain't everybody's cup of tea, though.

I find the entire Carolina Chocolate Drop set pretty intriguing. If you haven't already checked out fellow Dropper Leyla McCalla's work, I'd definitely recommend it also. I'd argue Leyla serves up a wee bit more of the earthiness you suggest you occasionally miss in Rhiannon's output. Here are two songs from her Vari-Colored Songs album, a collection of works based on the poems of Langston Hughes:



[Edited 11/17/17 14:24pm]

Ooh, nice! I like those two Leyla McCalla songs - thanks! - and she does sound a little more desolate, which always appeals to me. I'll have to check out the rest of her work.

The cello really works well in that context, to my ears. I was struck by that, a couple of years back, when I saw the singer and cellist Ayanna Witter-Johnson supporting another artist, and playing a mean blues cello to accompany another historical narrative. It's such a rich, expressive tone that comes from the instrument, it's perfect for that kind of material.

"Not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed until it is faced." - James Baldwin
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Reply #9 posted 11/18/17 4:02am

deebee

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NorthC said:

I only know her from Dylan's New Basement Tapes project and she was the star of the show there... She's cool... Thanks for posting... cool

Once more to Spotify I go...... lol Cheers! thumbs up!

"Not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed until it is faced." - James Baldwin
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Reply #10 posted 11/18/17 4:59am

gandorb

She seems like an artist from another era, and I mean this in the best way. She has her own artistic vision that is not contaminated by commercial concerns. I look forward to her having a long career with some interesting twists and turns. She also seems to be genuinely humble. She would be one of the last stars that I would expect to send out some idiotic twitter message or be in a reality show, as she has too much class for such things! And oh, I haven't even mentioned yet that voice!!!!! She is also a joy to see in concert. Yes, there is some love for Rhiannon here!

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Reply #11 posted 11/20/17 3:06am

deebee

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gandorb said:

She seems like an artist from another era, and I mean this in the best way. She has her own artistic vision that is not contaminated by commercial concerns. I look forward to her having a long career with some interesting twists and turns. She also seems to be genuinely humble. She would be one of the last stars that I would expect to send out some idiotic twitter message or be in a reality show, as she has too much class for such things! And oh, I haven't even mentioned yet that voice!!!!! She is also a joy to see in concert. Yes, there is some love for Rhiannon here!

thumbs up!

I went to her concert on Saturday and was really impressed. That 'vision' really comes through in a live setting: more than simply promoting her album, her aim seemed to be to take the listener on a wideranging tour of American folk music styles - bluegrass, cajun, blues, gospel - as a way of narrating the country's turbulent history and how it bears on the present. It was really a great show. Definitely catch her live if she comes to your town! guitar

"Not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed until it is faced." - James Baldwin
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Reply #12 posted 11/20/17 3:15am

deebee

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As an added bonus, she had the very talented Kaia Kater as her support act on Saturday:

"Not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed until it is faced." - James Baldwin
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Reply #13 posted 11/21/17 10:20am

maplenpg

deebee said:



gandorb said:


She seems like an artist from another era, and I mean this in the best way. She has her own artistic vision that is not contaminated by commercial concerns. I look forward to her having a long career with some interesting twists and turns. She also seems to be genuinely humble. She would be one of the last stars that I would expect to send out some idiotic twitter message or be in a reality show, as she has too much class for such things! And oh, I haven't even mentioned yet that voice!!!!! She is also a joy to see in concert. Yes, there is some love for Rhiannon here!



thumbs up!

I went to her concert on Saturday and was really impressed. That 'vision' really comes through in a live setting: more than simply promoting her album, her aim seemed to be to take the listener on a wideranging tour of American folk music styles - bluegrass, cajun, blues, gospel - as a way of narrating the country's turbulent history and how it bears on the present. It was really a great show. Definitely catch her live if she comes to your town! guitar


So....only just come across this. She plays by me tomorrow night! - But it's sold out
sad I'm genuinely sad.
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Reply #14 posted 11/21/17 12:31pm

deebee

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maplenpg said:

deebee said:

thumbs up!

I went to her concert on Saturday and was really impressed. That 'vision' really comes through in a live setting: more than simply promoting her album, her aim seemed to be to take the listener on a wideranging tour of American folk music styles - bluegrass, cajun, blues, gospel - as a way of narrating the country's turbulent history and how it bears on the present. It was really a great show. Definitely catch her live if she comes to your town! guitar

So....only just come across this. She plays by me tomorrow night! - But it's sold out sad I'm genuinely sad.

mad Ahh, that's a bummer - soz. And the other dates are a bit of a trek from 'round that way. Could always contact the venue and see if there are any last-minute returns going. Doesn't seem like there are any from secondary ticket agents either.

She'll be back soon enough, though.

"Not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed until it is faced." - James Baldwin
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Reply #15 posted 11/21/17 1:05pm

maplenpg

deebee said:

maplenpg said:

deebee said: So....only just come across this. She plays by me tomorrow night! - But it's sold out sad I'm genuinely sad.

mad Ahh, that's a bummer - soz. And the other dates are a bit of a trek from 'round that way. Could always contact the venue and see if there are any last-minute returns going. Doesn't seem like there are any from secondary ticket agents either.

She'll be back soon enough, though.

Thanks Deebee, it's a small venue but I might try them when I'm home from work. Rare to get people in my neck of the woods though so she's already gone up in my estimation smile

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Forums > Music: Non-Prince > Any Org love for Rhiannon Giddens?