New Mix: Rufus Wainwright, PJ Harvey, Rhiannon Giddens, more
Top row, left to right: PJ Harvey, Rufus Wainwright, Wila Frank; bottom row, left to right: Hand Habits, Rhiannon Giddens Courtesy of the artists hide caption
We begin this week's All Songs Considered with the passionate voice, fiddle and banjo of Rhiannon Giddens. The proponent of traditional music (who won a Pulitzer Prize on Monday) is putting out her first new album in six years, and for the first time, all the songs are hers. I'll play the title track, "You're the One."
Rufus Wainwright grew up in a family in love with folk music. His mom was Kate McGarrigle, and his dad is Loudon Wainwright III. The new album from Rufus, Folkocracy, interprets old and contemporary folk songs with guests including Brandi Carlile, John Legend, David Byrne, Sheryl Crow and Chaka Khan, and on Rufus Wainwright's interpretation of Neil Young's "Harvest," he's joined by Andrew Bird and Chris Stills.
Hand Habits, the project of Meg Duffy, has a new record coming in June, Sugar the Bruise. I play the deeply moving tune "Private Life." .
PJ Harvey is about to release her 10th album and first since 2016. I Inside the Old Year Dying is produced with longtime collaborator John Parish along with acclaimed producer Flood. You'll hear the song "A Child's Question, August."
PJ Harvey is one of the artists Wila Frank cites as an influence. The Nashville-based singer's music is both introspective and cinematic. Her debut album Black Cloud is out this week, and I play the opening track, "Tonight."
I'll take us out on the cinematic sounds of Strange Ranger and the song "She's On Fire" from their upcoming album Pure Music.