Rhiannon Giddens has become synonymous with the banjo. Whether you have heard her with Grammy Award-winning band Carolina Chocolate Drops, her solo career, or even with Beyoncé, there is a good chance that if you have

heard the banjo, you have heard Rhiannon Giddens. She has managed to create an important career which blends traditional African banjo music with the American and Irish folk traditions to create a sound which is uniquely hers. Her new album, Hope is the Thing with Feathers is no different. Somewhere between her original compositions and covers of traditional songs, Hope is the Thing with Feathers creates a joyful noise which is sorely needed today.

In true Rhiannon Giddens fashion, the first song on the album, “Angel Fire Rise”is a track driven largely by banjo, fiddle, and a bowed bass. The song features beautiful harmonies between Giddens and collaborator Dirk Powell. The lyrics feature simple, traditional folk imagery. She sings about her own death and witnessing the angels while wishing goodbye to those she loves. Those familiar with Rhiannon Giddens know that this is something she does especially well. Those familiar with her style of music also know that it is something that many people do not do nearly as well. The first song is absolutely a standout among the other tracks on the album. However, the album is wholly beautiful, as listeners have come to expect from Rhiannon Giddens.

Another standout track is “Carolina Rain.” This song sounds incredibly modern compared to the rest of the album, reminiscent of Molly Tuttle, one of the most celebrated bluegrass singers and songwriters of today. In this song she harks back to her own roots in North Carolina. She sings about beautiful memories of whippoorwills and fireflies, and of course the Carolina rain. This song is underscored with a twinge of sadness, as she sings to her lover. She sings about going back home to a world she misses, but even more importantly to the world where she first fell in love with her partner.

The album also features two covers. One of the covers, “Cluck Old Hen,” is a fine rendition of the traditional folk song. However, much more compelling is her cover of Elizabeth Cotten’s “Freight Train.” “Freight Train” is a song ultimately about escape; escape from poverty, escape from circumstance, and escape from life. Now, “Freight Train” is no stranger to being covered, but Giddens does offer up something new and powerful with her version. It is especially powerful when taken in context. Elizabeth Cotten,

a Black woman, wrote “Freight Train” as a child in approximately 1906, and it was only discovered when she worked for Pete Seeger, a fantastic singer, songwriter, and collector of traditional American music, during the 1960s. Rhiannon Giddens, a Black woman herself, strips this song down to the essentials in a way which takes the listener back in time. With just a guitar and her vocals, the song itself shines. She is not trying to make “Freight Train” a Rhiannon Giddens song. She keeps it true to Elizabeth Cotten, and because of this anyone who hears this song hears Elizabeth Cotten and her struggles just as much as they hear Rhiannon Giddens and hers.

Throughout Hope is the Thing with Feathers, Rhiannon Giddens only cements herself as one of the most important figures in folk music today. Over the 38-minute runtime, Giddens weaves her own songs and traditional songs together to create a warmth and appreciation for folk music and the people who came before her. Arguably more importantly, this spotlight on the old paves the way for the new, and is sure to create an appetite for folk music among many of the listeners.