ALBUM REVIEW: Kyshona Finds Modern Lessons in Genealogical Research for ‘Legacy’

Kyshona invites us all to find pride in our histories on her stunning new album, Legacy. The album is sonically influenced by her late grandfather HT, who led his church’s choir: These songs are a new gospel of honor, veneration, tradition — and approaching our current moment with grace and bravery. Kyshona incorporates sounds from across the spectrum of Black music to craft a gift for the rest of us.

Legacy was inspired by Kyshona’s genealogical research with The Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, which specializes in helping Black patrons trace family histories lost and disrupted by American enslavement. Kyshona incorporates her family’s own archive of choir performances and sermons to craft a throughline from her immediate ancestors to the deep past — and back to the future.

“Elephants” sets the tone, with an expansive arrangement that centers Kyshona’s singular voice. She paints similarities between the beauty of elephants and Black people, as well as the devastating predation of both driven by colonialism and capitalism. This larger narrative refocuses on the individual family members Kyshona highlights on in her songs: HT, her great-great-great-great-grandmother Margaret and her devotion to her farm, her great-grandmother Sidney, on to her cousin Crystal. As Kyshona guides us through her family tree, the songs are dappled with blues, funk, and gospel, all tied together by the pursuit of excellence that so clearly defines her spirit.

Kyshona (photo by Anna Haas)

There are moments of doubt here, too: “Where My Mind Goes” delves into Kyshona’s own vulnerabilities. “Always a Daughter” is as tender as it is questioning — no relationship is truly conflict-free — as it delves into the complexities of the mother-daughter relationship.

In addition to the Armstrong family, Legacy highlights the creative family that Kyshona has built,  and this is the key to its success. She co-wrote many of these songs with Caroline Spence, Jess Nolan, Brittney Spencer, Aaron Lee Tasjan, her own brother Kelvin, and others. The songs feature performances by Ruthie Foster, Keb’ Mo’, Ellen Angelico, and more. In each song, Kyshona and her collaborators have an undeniable chemistry. No one person outshines the others, as there is not only a clear regard for each other, but a commitment to serving the song itself. This is leading by example. Musically or politically, we can only build legacies by building with each other.

Kyshona’s Legacy is out April 26 via Soundly Music.