Providence, Rhode Island-based Black scholar, LGBTQ activist, fiddler, banjoist, singer/songwriter Jake Blount is out with his debut album Spider Tales. This 14 track collection features Black and indigenous roots of Appalachian music and whose title refers to Anansi the Spider, a trickster who battles the powerful in Ghanian Akan people’s folklore and remained a presence in storytelling by enslaved peoples in the American colonies. With Spider Tales, Blount takes the listener on a historical journey into rarely heard and nearly forgotten contributions African Americans made to country, bluegrass, and folk. Blount is joined by a band of mostly queer musicians including: fiddle player Tatiana Hargreaves, guitarist Rachel Eddy, and step dance percussionist Nic Gareiss among them. Album standouts include: the gentle banjo-picked opening track “Goodbye, Honey, You Call That Gone”; the heavy-hearted gospel number “The Angels Done Bowed Down”; the cover of South Carolina blues singer Josie Miles’ 1920 song “Mad Mama’s Blues”; the take on Lead Belly’s “Where Did You Sleep Last Night (aka In The Pines)”; the expansive fiddle tune “Move, Daniel”; and the tune popularized by the godfather of old-time fiddling Tommy Jarrell, who never gave credit to the African-American woman who composed it “Boll Weevil.” Jake Blount’s Spider Tales is an inspired album with polished production and performances; not only is it a great listen, but shines a light on an important and often overlooked part of this country’s rich Black musical heritage. – Written by JFelton
SIMILAR | Foghorn Stringband, Allison de Groot, Dirk Powell, Red Tail Ring, Tui