I was first exposed to Carolina Chocolate Drops (CCD) on NPR a few weeks ago, and immediately took a liking to the sampling streaming on the site. The three-piece group from Durham got their start in November of 2005 and gathered steam with four albums on three different labels. They may have found a home in 2010 with Warner and Nonesuch Records with their latest release, Genuine Negro Jig.
The album opens up with an instrumental song called “Peace Behind the Bridge.” It’s a good beginning for what’s to come. The old-timey repetitive fiddle playing meshes very well with the banjo, and I really enjoy the syncopated rhythm of the bones (yes, bones) played by Dom Flemons. “Peace Behind the Bridge” is enjoyable and unobtrusive.
“Trouble in Your Mind,” a traditional Piedmont-style folk song, probably should not have been the second song on Genuine Negro Jig. I’m not saying it’s bad, which it certainly isn’t, but it sounds similar to “Peace Behind the Bridge” and is in the same key as well. The downfall to this is that the fiddle riffs parallel those to the opening track. “Trouble in Your Mind” has terrific vocal harmonies and you can’t help but want to imagine yourself at a hoedown in a dimly lit barn out in the country.
The third track is an original titled “You’re Baby Ain’t As Sweet As Mine.” It is reminiscent of the band Asylum Street Spankers with the ukulele-sounding four string banjo, snare drum and whimsical kazoo solos. I love the tight vocal harmonies on the chorus. SIDENOTE: Unfortunately, this song is NOT offered on the iTunes album download. If you’re going to buy the record anyway, you may as well pick it up in a store.
Remember back in the late 1990s when Blu Cantrell’s “Hit ‘Em Up Style” was THE anthem for women who had cheating men (she was before Carrie Underwood, folks)? CCD does, and Rhiannon Giddens brings it back to life with smoky, gyspyesque fiddle riffs. I do wish that she had a little more grit and soul in her voice for the song because I don’t feel like she sings with a great deal of passion here. The enharmonic minor runs on her fiddle playing almost make up for the vocals. The beatbox and snare add a very interesting complexity, lending a rhythm-and-blues roots folk feel to the song.
“Cornbread and Butterbeans” is another traditional North and South Carolina Piedmont-style folk song. Once again, CCD shows that they have exceptionally good harmonies, and it offers up the nostalgic thoughts of late nights with moonshine by a campfire. I do, however, wish that during production, the backup vocals were more centrically panned, but that’s a minor detail.
The enharmonic, rhapsodic gypsy fiddling returns with “Snowden’s Jig (Genuine Negro Jig). The instrumental track is both enchanting and haunting. Giddens gets to show off her refined and soulful fiddling abilities, while Flemmons and Justin Robinson offer back up with their catchy percussive beats. The melody to this instrumental is eerily smiliar to the hip-hop icon Akon’s song “Smack That,” which in my mind is moderately detrimental to the song that lends its name to the album title.
I love the Am-G-F-E7 walkdown. So does Bob Dylan and Ray Charles. On “Why Don’t You Do Right,” Giddens vocals are absolutely phenomenal. Her phrasings and breath control are incredible on this song, which is probably my favorite on the entire album. You can feel her pain in her expressions. Janis Joplin’s cover of the Gershwin’s “Summertime” is the first thing that came to mind when I first heard “Why Don’t You Do Right.” Rhiannon Giddens has a much more polished voice, and I’d compare her to Diana Ross’ version of “Lover Man” by Billie Holiday from the album Lady Sings the Blues.
“Cindy Gal” is another traditonal folk song with some blues influences. Somewhere, I think I have a Leadbelly record where he performs it, too. It shares the same structure as “Cornbread and Butterbeans,” so you have to remind yourself that this is the style, and not a flaw in unoriginality on CCD’s part. Just like “Your Baby Ain’t As Sweet As Mine,” “Cindy Gal” is not offered on the iTunes album download.
Justin Robinson’s silky smooth, airy vocals on “Kissin’ and Cussin’” are perfect. The song is written in the saddest of all keys (D minor), and his autoharp on the song gives it a wind up music box feel. It’s a love ballad of forgiveness, and is my second favorite song on the album.
“Sandy Boys” is another traditional folk song, and the fiddle, banjo, and vocals are just like those of “Cindy Gal,” and “Cornbread and Butterbeans.” I’m thankful that the producers did not put the three songs on the album consecutively.
“Reynadine” is another traditional folk song, only it’s sung solo and a capella by Giddens. It reminds me of “Oh Shenandoah” or “The Gypsy Rover,” which are two other traditional folk songs. The melody, however, has influences from Irish folk songs, and is a nice break from the rest of Genuine Negro Jig. This one isn’t on the iTunes download page, either.
Tom. Waits. He’s the MAN. CCD covers “Trampled Rose” and it sounds great. While Flemmons doesn’t have the signature gravelly voice of Waits, he does a very good job on this cover.
Overall, I really enjoyed CCD’s Genuine Negro Jig. I wish it was a bit more raw, but I’m sure they sound better live. The album sits in at around 40 minutes, so I wish it was a bit longer. I also would have enjoyed having more originals on the album. Would I recommend it to someone who enjoys folk music? Yes.
