Dona Got a Ramblin Mind (Dig)

Great music for an outside picnic or campfire; lots of banjo and fiddle for toe tapping folks.!!!

Folks, this CD will make you wanna grab your partner, do-se-do, and stomp your feet and yell YEE HAW!

It is not widely known that before the advent of categorization of jazz and the blues, Southern Blacks mixed elements of Africa AND Appalachia in their music. The Carolina Chocolate Drops pay homage to that tradition, acknowledging this kind of music for what it really is, classic American folk music. As a harmonicist myself, I'd love to jam with them whenever they come to the Charleston, SC area again.

I can't stop humming the title cut and woe be to anyone who could sit still while listening to this toe tapping, hand clapping knee slapper, as well as it's wonderful refrain.

It takes a lot of moxie for a Black American group to record "Dixie." Personally, I figure it's their right to play what they want and I will admit to liking this version, which incidentally is an instrumental. I could be wrong, but my interpretation of this is a call for the diversity of opinion on this subject.

The version of "Tom Dula" is also noteworthy. Most people today know this song from the Kingston Trio's smoothed-out popular version "Tom Dooley" of the late 1950s. This is a rawer version that is apparently closer to the original folk ballad.

But in either case, this is truly a worthwhile purchase that will give you a set of ramblin' legs and feet. Enjoy!

Dona Got A Ramblin' Mind, Carolina Chocolate Drops (Dom Flemons, Rhiannon Giddens, Justin Robinson and the spirit of fiddler Joe Thompson), MusicMaker, 2006.

Recently I posed a question in this space about who would continue the blues tradition today, now that most, if not all, of the famous old blues singers are dead or retired. One answer that I came up with was the talented Keb' Mo'. There are others I am sure. I have also posed that same question here in regard to the folk music movement that now is seeing more than its fair share of old time performers pass from the scene, most recently the likes of Odetta and Utah Phillips. One answer that I came up with was the talented Woody Guthrie devotee Alastair Moock. Again, there are others I am sure. Here I pose the same question in regard to another important form of American music, bluegrass (or more generally, mountain music). As previously, the role of succession begs an important question now that many of the best of this genre have also passed or retired. Who would, if anyone, continue that old tradition?

That is where the artists under review, Carolina Chocolate Drops, come into the picture. When I think about Carolina, in this case North Carolina, I think of the famous black women virtuoso blues guitarists, Elizabeth Cotton and Etta Baker, whom I have previously reviewed in this space. More generally though I think of Ralph Stanley, Doc and Merle Watson and other white musicians from the mountains. I admit my error. That is not nearly inclusive enough. I have noted previously that in the 19th century the closeness of black and white variations of rural music were quite common and, in some cases, mutually shared. I then gave, as an example, the classic song "John Henry" done by both races in many variations. Thus, for these talented young black musicians to take up the struggle for continuity is a natural. And this CD proves the point. Enough said.

So what is good here? Obviously the classic "Sally Ann" that like "John Henry" has had a million incarnations. Hats off also to "Little Sadie" and "Black Annie". However, if you only have time to listen to one give a listen to the title track "Dona Got A Ramblin' Mind" then you will know why the old bluegrass tradition like the blues and folk ones are still in capable hands. Kudos, Drops.

I don't care how cold and bleak it is outside, you hear a song like black-eyed Daisy, shut your eyes and its a late summer morning with a hot sun overhead, corn-blue sky and green underneath, smell of mud and rain in the air, hot fields, lazy cows, in the distance a hazy patch of woods beckons to you with the promise of shade and breeze, and the only sound is a train chugging away somewhere beyond your sight.

This album is to be recommended for expats from the South suffering from homesickness.

As another reviewer mentioned, there are some issues with sound quality. But that's only if you use high-quality speakers. That said, the music more than makes up for any minor issues. Love the percussion, and the fiddling is top notch. The album offers a nice mix of instrumentals, and vocals drawn from traditional Southern styles, both white and black. Of course, 90 years ago it was harder to distinguish between the two, so in some ways this album is a blast from the past, before radio promoters began to artificially genre-fy the music. Let's hope the CCDs will come out with another album soon.

Amazon, why don't you offer the album "Colored aristocracy" done by this band with Sankofa strings? Folks, it is an album worth getting.

The only thing better than listening to the Chocolate Drops is seeing them live. They perform a variety from tunes to classic ballads. The solos are strong and in the band pieces they are learning to meld egos and make the music shine. They inject the songs with their own personal joy. This is the first new group whose recordings I have bought in ages. I'm a trad die hard and I love this group!