Co-founding member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Dom Flemons, has released his latest solo outing – his first for the Smithsonian Folkways Recordings label done in conjunction with their 70th anniversary. Black Cowboys is an underappreciated collection of African American Cowboy songs that call attention to African American’s cultural contributions to the U.S. during the western expansion. As the curator and performer of this collection of songs, Flemons – a music scholar and historian – present topics from a number of varied perspectives. Instead of simply presenting songs associated with black pioneers, Flemons uses period instrumentation and unique arrangements to create a collection of traditional tunes, original songs and spoken word compositions that convey the life and times of African American cowboys in the Wild West. Album highlights include: a field holler originally collected by musicologist/folklorist John A. Lomax in the 1930’s titled “Black Woman”; the square-dance classic “Going Down the Road Feelin’ Bad”; the playful fiddle instrumental “Knox County Stomp”; a cover of Roy Acuff’s “Lonesome Old River Blues”; a spoken word piece by modern-day cowboy poet Wally McRae “Old Proc”; and the traditional cowboy tunes “Home on the Range” and “Old Chisholm Trail.” The impressive album is part of the label’s African American Legacy Series and was produced in conjunction with the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The 40-page booklet includes two essays and Flemons’ recording-specific notes. – Written by JFelton
SIMILAR | Carolina Chocolate Drops, Rhiannon Giddens, Pokey LaFarge, Leyla McCalla