Album of the week

I really wasn't sure which album I was going to pick this week for my Album of the Week, Fierce by Hante (which is really good, go check out her new album) or Dig by Amythyst Kiah. I ended up going with Dig. Amythyst is one of the artists that is part of the Songs of Our Native Daughters that I have talked about on my blog for the past several days. Her music is deeply rooted in country, blues, and folk music. Her vocals really took my breath away when I started listening to her music. She reminds me of both Tracy Chapman and Nina Simone. I have listened to her band Her Chest of Glass's album but to be honest I find her acoustic music to be more compelling with its sparse, stripped down sound. One of the most memorable songs on the album is her interpretation of the old Clarence Ashley song Dark Holler. Sorry Clarence (RIP) but Amythyst's version takes the song to a whole new level, and just so breathtakingly beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time. Amythyst also does a gorgeous cover of Radiohead's "Fake Plastic Trees". She breathes new life in a song that I have rather lost interest in over the years. It sounds so different and so new.  "Aragon Mill" is another great song. Just love the storytelling in that track. There is nothing about Dig that I did not like. If country music sounded more like this and none of the nonsense I hear on the radio nowadays which the artists are trying to be more like pop/rock stars, I can get down with this music. Please check out this independent artist, she is amazing. I am looking forward to hearing her contributions on the Songs of Our Native Daughters which comes out next month.