Carolina Chocolate Drops: "Leaving Eden"

I have wanted to check this band out for a long while. I read a piece on them in the excellent magazine Country Music People and it basically said that banjo is originally an African instrument and this band wanted to reclaim an often forgotten part of American folk music, the African American part that is.

Not that this band has to be "the black band". They're a real powerhouse of a band on any merit, black or white, but it's still a recommendable thing they're doing. I had the pleausre to aquaint myself with this tradition on the compilation The stuff that dreams or made of and I liked it. Normally when you speak of African American folk music, it begins with Robert Johnson and ends with Muddy Waters. Sure, I like blues, but it would be a shame if the black string tradition would die out and this trio does it's best to prevent it from doing so.

To be honest, I am perhaps the wrong man to review this record, as I don't know too much about the genre, but I sure like it.

So it would be a shame if I just kept it to myself and didn't share my views on it.

American folk musics are to some extent intermingled with each other. There's a real blues feel to good bluegrass and there is sure some European influences in the music of Carolina Chocolate Drops, but still most of it is African-inspired.

When I read on them in the CMP piece, it said they sometimes cover modern R&B songs and I have already listened to their famous interpretation of Blu Cantrells Hit 'em up style. On this record, they take this step one step further by not only interpretating modern music through folk styles, but the other way around too. They bring R&B to folk by beatboxing and scratching, they give their music a real urban flavour.

But they never downplay the strings on any tune, 'cept for the a capella tunes Read 'em John and the beautiful Pretty Bird.

So, what you get musically is a folkish album with roots everywhere (even in Scotland!), but most of all, as the lyrics to the best tune on the album, Country girl, explains, in the deep south.

There are no bad tunes on this album, even if all tunes aren't great. Still, it's agood album and by buying it, you support a hardworking young band that is really doing an effort to make brilliant music and saving a tradition in doing so.

All in all, as I said, a good album. I give it 78,9% in level of satisfaction!

An interview with Will Kimbrough

ASOAC: How did you first get into music, did you play for a church band? School? Self-thaught?

WK: I just loved music.  I played violin,, piano, and sax before guitar.  Once i  got a guitar, i started a band and  never looked back.

ASOAC: When did you decide that you wanted to play American folk music and what motivated you to do this?

WK: I grew up in Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams and Willie Nelson

ASOAC: You’ve toured extensively through Europe, is there any difference between the audiences in Europe and the states?

WK: In the US, i am just another American singer.  In Europe, there is the feeling that the audience sees the performer as a little more...exotic.

ASOAC: What’s your first thoughts when I mention the following names:

a) Earl Scruggs
WK: happy genius

b) Townes van Zandt
WK: tortured genius

c) Emmylou Harris
WK: kind and soulful genius

d) Carolina Chocolate Drops
WK: young energetic huge talent---might be genius someday soon!

ASOAC: Are you a fan of Swedish music? Any particular performers you like?

WK: Daniel Norgren, Anna Ternheim, The Nomads, Johan Orjansson, Six Pack Holiday, Willy Clay Band, Annika Fehling, Ellen Sundberg, Johann Johannson (is he swedish---he's a great composer).

ASOAC: What does the future hold for your kind of music and where do you see yourself in ten years time? 

WK: My kind of music seems to weather trends pretty well; I think you could almost say it's timeless, especially when we play acoustic and just use the voices.  It's very human, and humans need human music.  So in ten years time, I'll be playing a show somewhere in support of my new songs.  Trying to touch some human hearts with some human sounds.

ASOAC: If your music wasn’t music, but a sport, which sport would it be? Precise like snooker or hard and physical like American football?

WK: Cross Country...long and lonely but very satisfying.

ASOAC: Any words to your Swedish fans?

WK: Thank you, Swedish music lovers, for your soulful ears.  I will be back soon.  Skol.

Will has a website that can be accessed here!