Product Description
Synopsis: Based on the powerful poetry of Langston Hughes, a leader of the Harlem Renaissance, this socially significant work constructs a simple yet deeply flavorful Americana sound! SSW Leila McCalla's limited-edition debut album, released in 2013, is finally being reissued. This work is an homage to the poet Langston Hughes, whom she deeply admires. Based on Hughes's works, which depicted real Black American culture from the perspective of a Black person in an era rife with stereotypes, McCalla uses acoustic instruments such as cello and tenor banjo to construct an original Americana sound. In addition, she incorporates Haitian folk songs, her own roots, to naturally express her identity as a Haitian African American. This is a powerful album that makes you reconsider Black culture and the universality of humanity. Japanese liner notes/obi included Tracklist 1. Heart of Gold 2. When I Can See the Valley 3. M?si Bondye 4. Girl 5. Kam?n sa w f? 6. Too Blue 7. Manman Mwen 8. Song for a Dark Girl 9. As I Grew Older/Dreamer 10. Love Again Blues 11. Rose Marie 12. Latibonit 13. Search 14. Lonely House 15. Changing Tide Media Reviews and More Leila McCalla, also known for her work with Our Native Daughters, finally gets a limited reissue of her first solo album! She incorporates her own lyrics, including excerpts from Hughes' poetry, into original songs with an American roots music feel, as well as Haitian music, another of her roots. She expertly blends the two musical influences she received from Haiti, her parents' birthplace, and the United States, where she was born and raised, to express her own identity. (C)RS
