My Black Country : The Songs Of Alice Randall (2024)

"Novelist, songwriter and university professor Alice Randall published [the book] "My Black Country: A Journey Through Country Music's Black Past, Present, and Future", which explores her history with country along with the genre's history with race. This album accompanies its publication; it's a collection of 11 new recordings of tunes from her songbook, all delivered by black women. Until its release, none of Randall's songs had been recorded by a black woman, so this album is as overdue and necessary as it is revelatory. Most of Randall's songs were cut by musicians firmly within Nashville's commercial mainstream, whereas the artists on "My Black Country" are typically classified as Americana, even when they're fairly traditional country singers such as Miko Marks. Hearing Randall's songs sung in atmospheric, folk-inflected arrangements helps place her songbook within a rich vein of American music, one that stretches back to folk and blues and runs through soul, pop and beyond." (AllMusic; 4 uit 5 sterren)