''Songs of Our Native Daughters'' is the debut
Americana
Americana may refer to:
*Americana (music), a genre or style of American music
*Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States
Film, radio and television
* ''Americana'' (1992 TV series), a documentary series presented by J ...
/
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Folk Plus or Fol ...
album by four North American singer-songwriters collaborating as Our Native Daughters. The group includes
Rhiannon Giddens
Rhiannon Giddens (born February 21, 1977) is an American musician. She is a founding member of the country, blues and old-time music band the Carolina Chocolate Drops, where she is the lead singer, fiddle player, and banjo player.
Giddens i ...
,
Amythyst Kiah
Amythyst Kiah (born 11 December 1986) is an American singer-songwriter. Kiah is a native of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Chattanooga, Tennessee and currently lives in Johnson City, Tennessee, Johnson City. She plays Acoustic guitar, guitar and banjo.
...
,
Leyla McCalla
Leyla Sarah McCalla Heart of Gold Work ID No. 886049205 Leyla Sarah McCalla IPI No. 715028763 (born October 3, 1985) is an American classical and folk musician. She was a cellist with the Grammy-winning string band Carolina Chocolate Drops but ...
, and
Allison Russell
Allison Russell is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician and activist.
Prior to her solo music career, Russell performed as a member of various music groups including Po' Girl, Birds of Chicago, Our Native Daughters and Sisters of the Strawbe ...
. The album was released on the
Smithsonian Folkways
Smithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was fou ...
label in early 2019.
''Songs of Our Native Daughters'' addresses American historical issues that have influenced the identity of
black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
women, including
slavery
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
, racism, and
sexism
Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls.There is a clear and broad consensus among academic scholars in multiple fields that sexism refers primari ...
. The album features 13 songs, 11 of them written by the group's members. It also includes a cover of a 1970s
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...
classic and a song that draws its lyrics from two poems.
The album was co-produced by Giddens, who conceived the project, and
Dirk Powell
Dirk Powell (born 1969) is an American fiddler, banjo player, and singer. Powell was born in Oberlin, Ohio into a family with deep Kentucky roots. He has lived in Louisiana since 1992. He is considered one of the world's leading experts on traditio ...
, who holds four
Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
and has worked with Giddens on previous albums.
It was recorded in 10 days at Powell's studio in a pre-
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
building outside
Lafayette
Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to:
People
* Lafayette (name), a list of people with the surname Lafayette or La Fayette or the given name Lafayette
* House of La Fayette, a French noble family
** Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757â ...
, Louisiana.
Themes
The idea for Our Native Daughters was conceived by Giddens whose previous album, ''Freedom Highway'', dealt with slavery and the
Civil Rights Era
The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the United S ...
.
The project was inspired by two experiences. The first was a visit she made with her seven-year-old daughter to the
Smithsonian's
National Museum of African American History and Culture
The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is a Smithsonian Institution museum located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It was established in December 2003 and opened its permanent home in ...
in Washington, D.C. During a private tour, Giddens encountered a quote from an 18th century poem that she felt needed to be in a song:
Her second experience was a screening of
Nate Parker
Nate Parker (born November 18, 1979) is an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter. He has appeared in ''Beyond the Lights'', ''Red Tails'', '' The Secret Life of Bees'', ''The Great Debaters'', ''Arbitrage'', ''Non-Stop'', ''Fe ...
's controversial 2016 film ''
Birth of a Nation
''The Birth of a Nation'', originally called ''The Clansman'', is a 1915 American silent epic drama film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish. The screenplay is adapted from Thomas Dixon Jr.'s 1905 novel and play ''The Cla ...
''.
In the album's liner notes, Giddens writes that she was upset by the scene in the film where an enslaved woman is
rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...
d by the
plantation
A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...
owner's friend. What particularly outraged Giddens was that the camera was on the face of the woman's husband, not on her suffering.
Giddens' original intent was to make art from historical words and observations about slavery. She also wanted to focus on the banjo and its role in 19th century black minstrel music.
After some reflection, as well as conversations with Dirk Powell, she decided to do a collaborative project that would include other black female artists.
The concept for the album began to change during the early recording sessions as Russell, Kiah and McCalla suggested a range of ideas for new songs centering on the legacies that helped shape the present day identity of black women.
With that, Giddens broadened the theme to emphasize stories of "struggle, resistance and hope".
The result is a collection of songs that address issues ranging from slavery and colonialism to racism and sexism.
More than half of the album's songs explore aspects of slavery and its aftermath.
Some of these as well as others deal with the specific experiences of black women. Meanwhile, Giddens' initial concept of celebrating black minstrel music was not abandoned.
Two of her four contributions focus on the historical role of the banjo as the first "truly American" instrument. As she points out in the liner notes, the instrument was first used exclusively by black musicians, but in the latter part of the 1800s, it became identified with white males who performed minstrel music in
blackface
Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used predominantly by non-Black people to portray a caricature of a Black person.
In the United States, the practice became common during the 19th century and contributed to the spread of racial stereo ...
, at the time a highly popular form of entertainment.
Critical reception
Upon its release, ''Songs of Our Native Daughters'' was welcomed with universal applause.
Laura Barton for ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' called it a "proud, devastating
ndauthoritative" work.
Group members
The members of Our Native Daughters were brought together by Giddens, who selected the group's name in reference to
James Baldwin
James Arthur Baldwin (August 2, 1924 – December 1, 1987) was an American writer. He garnered acclaim across various media, including essays, novels, plays, and poems. His first novel, '' Go Tell It on the Mountain'', was published in 1953; de ...
's 1955 book ''
Notes of a Native Son
''Notes of a Native Son'' is a collection of ten essays by James Baldwin, published in 1955, mostly tackling issues of race in America and Europe. The volume, as his first non-fiction book, compiles essays of Baldwin that had previously appeare ...
''.
Following are profiles of the group's members:
Rhiannon Giddens
Rhiannon Giddens (born February 21, 1977) is an American musician. She is a founding member of the country, blues and old-time music band the Carolina Chocolate Drops, where she is the lead singer, fiddle player, and banjo player.
Giddens i ...
, a vocalist and
banjo
The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...
player, is a founding member of the
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
-winning group
Carolina Chocolate Drops
The Carolina Chocolate Drops were an old-time string band from Durham, North Carolina. Their 2010 album, ''Genuine Negro Jig,'' won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, and was number 9 in ''fRoots'' ...
.
She was nominated for a Grammy in 2017 for her second solo studio album ''
Freedom Highway'', which was produced by Powell. Among other honors, she was awarded a
MacArthur Fellowship
The MacArthur Fellows Program, also known as the MacArthur Fellowship and commonly but unofficially known as the "Genius Grant", is a prize awarded annually by the MacArthur Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation typically to ...
"genius grant" in 2017 for her contributions to
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Folk Plus or Fol ...
and
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
as an African American.
Amythyst Kiah
Amythyst Kiah (born 11 December 1986) is an American singer-songwriter. Kiah is a native of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Chattanooga, Tennessee and currently lives in Johnson City, Tennessee, Johnson City. She plays Acoustic guitar, guitar and banjo.
...
is a native of
Chattanooga
Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...
,
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
and currently lives in
Johnson City. Kiah is a graduate of
East Tennessee State University
East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is a public research university in Johnson City, Tennessee. Although it is part of the State University and Community College System of Tennessee, the university is governed by an institutional Board of Tr ...
, where she completed the Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies program.
She plays
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
and banjo.
Leyla McCalla
Leyla Sarah McCalla Heart of Gold Work ID No. 886049205 Leyla Sarah McCalla IPI No. 715028763 (born October 3, 1985) is an American classical and folk musician. She was a cellist with the Grammy-winning string band Carolina Chocolate Drops but ...
, who is of Haitian descent, was born in New York City. After studying classical music briefly at
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
, she relocated to
, where she was recruited to join the Carolina Chocolate Drops while performing as a
street musician
Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is pr ...
.
She has since recorded three solo albums. Her most recent release, ''Capitalist Blues'', reached number 14 on
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
's Jazz Albums chart in early 2019. McCalla's primary instrument is the cello, though she also plays banjo and guitar.
Allison Russell
Allison Russell is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician and activist.
Prior to her solo music career, Russell performed as a member of various music groups including Po' Girl, Birds of Chicago, Our Native Daughters and Sisters of the Strawbe ...
was born in
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pea ...
and currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee. A multi-instrumentalist, she is a founding member of two
roots
A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients.
Root or roots may also refer to:
Art, entertainment, and media
* ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...
groups. In 2003, Russell joined with Trish Klein of
Be Good Tanyas
The Be Good Tanyas are a Canadian folk music group formed in Vancouver in 1999. Their influences include folk, country, and bluegrass. The style of music they perform can be referred to as alt-country or Americana.
History
The Be Good Tanya ...
to form
Po' Girl
Po' Girl is a Canadian music group whose style derives from folk, country and jazz.
The band evolved from a series of jam sessions, in 2000, between Trish Klein of The Be Good Tanyas and Allison Russell, then of Fear of Drinking. The two met up ...
in Canada, which recorded six albums, the last in 2010. Two years later, she joined with her now-husband JT Nero to form the group
Birds of Chicago
Birds of Chicago is an Americana/folk band founded in March 2012 in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The band is led by husband and wife, JT Nero and Allison Russell. Russell is formerly of the Canadian roots act Po' Girl. The duo-fronted band ...
in the U.S., releasing four albums and an EP (as of 2018). Russell plays guitar, banjo,
ukulele
The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings.
The tone and volume of the instrumen ...
, and
clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound.
Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...
.
Another Canadian, singer-songwriter
Kaia Kater
Kaia Kater (born in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, guitar, piano and banjo player.
Background
Kater was born in Montreal, Quebec, where she spent her early childhood in Mile End. She started playing the banjo at 12 years old. ...
, was also invited to participate in Our Native Daughters but was unable to because of scheduling commitments.
Track listing
Personnel
Our Native Daughters
* Rhiannon Giddens: vocals, banjos (5-string and minstrel), fiddle, percussion
* Amythyst Kiah: vocals, 5-string banjo, percussion
* Leyla McCalla: vocals, cello, tenor banjo, guitar
* Allison Russell: vocals, 5-string banjo, clarinet, ukulele
Additional musicians
* Jamie Dick: drums, percussion
* Dirk Powell: guitars (acoustic, electric, and electric baritone), mandolin, banjo, fiddle, accordion
* Jason Sypher: bass
References
{{Authority control
2019 albums
Smithsonian Folkways albums