My Black Country – The Songs of Alice Randall
Reviewed By Janet Mawdesley August 14, 2024
Artist – Collection
Distributor: Oh Boy Records
Released: February 2024
Running Time: 40mins 55secs
Website: https://ohboy.com/collections/my-black-country-the-songs-of-alice-randall
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My Black Country is a most fascinating and interesting collection of tracks written by Alice Randall, a well-known Black American woman who is amongst many things, a musician and author. Widely recognized as being one of the most significant voices in 21st century African-American fiction, the only Black woman in history to write both a number one Country song (XXX’s and OOO’s) and an ACM video of the year (Is There Life Out There? starring Reba McEntire) she celebrates this achievement with the release of both her book, and accompanying album.
Eleven songs make up this collection reflecting country and western influences sung by eleven different artists, each one of the songs portraying aspects of not the just life lead by many Black American women, but also a history of Black American music.
Small town living, Small Towns (Are smaller for girls) kicks off the body of work, sung by Leyla McCalla, a haunting ballad of a young girl dreaming of a future that is almost within reach; once she leaves her Small Town.
SistaStrings do a wonderfully up-tempo version of Girls Ride Horses Too, before the somewhat brutal Went For Ride tells of the victimisation of a woman sung with deep emotion by Adia Victoria. Chunky with a fast tempo of Folk and Jazz The Ballad of Sally Ann from Rhannon Giddens is a masterful telling of a lynching and the essences of the ghost and grief left behind; Whose going to dance with Sallye Ann now her Johnny has gone!
Solitary Hero from Sunny War is a gently delivered tale of Magdalene; a bar-room girl who men pay silver dollars to touch her golden skin, while she dreams of her sheltered child; no joy, no love in her life other than Lady Laudanum.
Miko Marks changes the emotions with a sultry Blues rendition of I’ll Cry For Yours (Will You Cry For Mine) which gives a nod to Billie Holiday and Aretha Franklin in vibe and tempo. A particular favourite in the collection and a true Classic amongst an album of outstanding songs.
Many Mansions has subtle overtones of gospel sung by Allison Russell with some lovely banjo and harmonica to create a country and western folk piece sharing the plight of the homeless, who dream of a beautiful place to eventually find a home; In my mother’s house there are many rooms……………..
Saaneah adds a whole lot of soul and a captivating range of vocals to the New Orleans style song, Get The Hell Outta Dodge before Rissi Palmer moves into the catchy Whose Minding The Garden, to ponder the time old questions about planting for the future and looking at what we sow.
A short, catchy song Dream Big by Valerie June ponders the possibility of whether dreams really can come true, or is it a bit like wishing on a rainbow or maybe and with great good fortune, God is a woman too………….maybe!
XXX’s and OOO’s looks back at what was the American Girl; sweet, ribbons and bows to what has now become the American girl, anything but ribbons and bows; Women in their own right; funky, up tempo and the perfect piece to draw to a close, a diverse body of songs that captures in so many ways, the lives of not only African American women, but women all over the world; women who still, in today’s world, suffer oppression and fear even though they are considered as modern women.
My Black Country – The Songs of Alice Randall offers a diverse range of songs with wonderful backstories captured in each of the pieces. Stories which resonate, showcasing in so many ways music history, as well as the influence of a significant sector of the American people; Black history has had a pronounced bearing not only on the Music Industry but the cultural diversity of a nation.