Album Mini-review: Rhiannon Giddens — Freedom Highway
File next to: Dave Rawlings, Gillian Welch, Mary Gauthier
Grammy Award winner Rhiannon Giddens is the well-deserved darling of the burgeoning Americana movement. As a person of color, Giddens adds some diversity into the otherwise largely lily-white scene, but it would be a gross miscalculation to chalk her success up to that fact. As the frontperson for the critically acclaimed Carolina Chocolate Drops, she’s shown herself to be a songwriter and musician of deep nuance and a wide-encompassing musical vision. With other groups and on her own, Giddens has amassed an impressive catalog in little more than a decade. On her own, Giddens has released two EPs, a live album and a pair of studio releases. Freedom Highway continues Giddens’ musical explorations. Here she writes most of her own material, with an emphasis on history and storytelling. Instrumental accompaniment is judicious and spare, keeping the focus on her sonorous and emotive vocals.
About the Author
Bill Kopp
With a background in marketing and advertising, Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. After a stint as Editor-in-chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched Musoscribe in 2009, and has published new content every business day since then (and every single day since 2018). The 4500-plus interviews, essays, and reviews on Musoscribe reflect Bill's keen interest in American musical forms, most notably rock, jazz, and soul. His work features a special emphasis on reissues and vinyl. Bill's work also appears in many other outlets both online and in print. He regularly hosts lecture/discussions on artists and albums of historical importance (including monthly events Music to Your Ears and Music Movie Mondays), and is a frequent guest on music-focused radio programs and podcasts. In Spring 2023 he taught a history of Rock 'n' Roll at UNC Asheville's College for Seniors. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues -- more than 30 to date -- and co-produced a reissue of jazz legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's final album. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018, and in paperback in 2019. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, was published in 2021 by HoZac Books. His third book, What's the Big Idea: Great Concept Albums will be published in 2024. Read even more about him here.