After winning the Pulitzer Prize in Music for Omar, her opera based on Omar ibn Said's 1831 autobiography A Muslim American Slave: The Life of Omar ibn Said, who could blame
Rhiannon Giddens
for wanting to loosen up a bit with
You're the One
, an album she recorded after the production's 2022 debut? After focusing on such a serious project, it makes sense that
Giddens
would want to shift gears with
, an album that bears many musical connections to the former
Carolina Chocolate Drops
leader's body of work yet feels entirely different. Working with
Jack Splash
-- a producer whose resume includes recordings by
Alicia Keys
,
Solange Knowles
Jazmine Sullivan
Mayer Hawthorne
, and
Kendrick Lamar
--
creates what is effectively her crossover album, touching upon pop and soul without ever losing sight of either her roots or her impeccable taste. Occasionally,
focuses her attention on a specific sound, such as the folky "Way Over Yonder," but such streamlined excursions go against her very aesthetic: she thrives where cultures intersect, maybe even clash.
is filled with such moments. "Too Little, Too Late, Too Bad" is a country-funk number, she steers the folk of the title track toward pop territory, the righteous anger of "Another Wasted Life" is wrapped in a lush, cinematic arrangement, the rural imagery of "Hen in the Foxhouse" is given a decidedly urbane treatment. It's remarkable how these fusions feel bright and lively and every bit as sharp as the Americana-leaning
Freedom Highway
.
may be emphasizing a different side of her personality -- and perhaps courting a different audience -- but she's made no compromises. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine