Today’s challenge: A favorite song that’s kinda FOLK.
My folk tastes lean toward the subgenre that’s been called “Americana” — the historical root mixture of folk, country, blues, etc. And hands-down, my favorite practitioner of the genre is Rhiannon Giddens, a classically-trained opera singer and multi-instrumentalist who, initially with her band the Carolina Chocolate Drops, and now in her solo work, explores the historical black Americana that often gets ignored in what can be a very white-washed musical genre. She’s also a friend of a friend, and I’ve gotten to meet her (an experience leaving me uncharacteristically tongue-tied), so she’s definitely my favorite.
I’m giving two of hers:
…and this one, which she wrote from some unused Bob Dylan lyrics, as part of T Bone Burnett’s “The New Basement Tapes” project: