海角大神

Folk and Americana shine in these 2019 standouts聽 聽

With the release of her debut album, 鈥淲hen You鈥檙e Ready,鈥� Molly Tuttle confirms her membership in an elite group of women who are revolutionizing bluegrass music. Known for her adaptation of banjo picking techniques for guitar, she was the first woman to be nominated for the International Bluegrass Music Association鈥檚 Guitar Player of the Year, an award she won twice, in 2017 and 2018. Her voice, however, is what shines on this album, which sees Tuttle at her most vulnerable.

In his 10th album, 鈥淔ever Breaks,鈥� veteran folk singer Josh Ritter doesn鈥檛 deviate much from his tried-and-true sound. His meditative songwriting and earnest delivery shine through as he wrestles with, among other topics, the passage of time and the state of the nation. He also gets some help from Americana royalty in the form of Jason Isbell, who produces the album, and Isbell鈥檚 band, The 400 Unit.

Rhiannon Giddens, a 2017 MacArthur Fellowship recipient, partners with jazz musician Francesco Turrisi in a fascinating celebration of pluralism and common humanity in 鈥淭here Is No Other.鈥� The pair explore how musical traditions have traveled from Africa and the Arab world to influence music in Europe and the Americas. Spanning the gamut from the American bluegrass standard 鈥淲ayfaring Stranger鈥� to the Italian traditional ballad 鈥淧izzica di San Vito,鈥� the album delivers a strong statement against the practice of 鈥渙thering,鈥� or ostracizing those perceived as outsiders.