ALBUM REVIEW: ‘My Black Country’ Reframes the Songs of Alice Randall

One might be tempted to say that the My Black Country album, released in conjunction with Alice Randall’s memoir of the same name, is timed well. Close on the heels of Beyoncé’s first foray into country music with the release of Cowboy Carter (ND review), this project celebrating Randall’s songwriting, with performances by an impressive roster of Black female singers, extends the conversation about the roots and boundaries of this essentially American music.

Alice Randall (photo by Keren Trevino)

Major news outlets have framed Black roots and contributions in that music — the banjo in particular — as a surprise, and likewise, even some longtime country music fans may be unaware of Randall’s extensive songwriting success. Not only is Randall a respected educator and New York Times best-selling author (2001’s The Wind Done Gone), but she also made history as one of the first Black women to write a #1 country hit.

That hit, “XXX’s & OOO’s (An American Girl),” recorded by Trisha Yearwood in 1994, appears on this new collection as a spoken-word piece performed by Randall’s daughter, Caroline Randall Williams, who also played a role in selecting artists and songs for the project. In all, 11 songs Randall wrote or co-wrote are interpreted here by Black women, a reclamation according to Randall’s own vision. In a press release announcing the album, Randall noted that her songs have always been recorded by white singers, leading listeners to assume “the stars of the songs were all white.” She said this album gives her a chance to “rescue my Black characters.”

Those characters come to life on My Black Country. As Rhiannon Giddens sings “The Ballad of Sally Anne,” built on an old-time traditional tune but relating the chilling impact of lynching, listeners hear the song as Randall imagined it.

My Black Country opens with Leyla McCalla on “Small Towns (Are Smaller for Girls).” Several of the songs on the album are delivered from a distinctly female perspective — a “boom town whore” in “Solitary Hero” or a homeless woman conjured by Allison Russell’s delivery of “Many Mansions.” In Moe Bandy’s 1989 version of the song, he sang, “In my father’s house are many mansions,” a biblical reference. As Russell paints a picture of life on the streets, she sings about “my mother’s house.”

The lyrics, even those of songs written decades ago, are chillingly timeless. On “I’ll Cry for Yours,” a mother who has lost a son acknowledges the grief of the woman whose son “shot my boy down.” Likewise, “Who’s Minding the Garden,” first released by Glen Campbell in 1992, addresses the environmental impact of drilling for oil and harvesting the rain forests.

Several of the tracks have a strong Western theme. Chauntee and Monique Ross, as SistaStrings, sing “Girls Ride Horses Too,” setting the stage for Adia Victoria’s rendition of “Went for a Ride,” originally recorded by Randall’s co-writer Radney Foster.

A majority of the musicians backing up the singers on My Black Country are women as well. Multi-instrumentalist Megan McCormick and percussionist Meg Coleman play on most of the tracks. Nashville fixture Jen Gunderman plays piano and keys on several tracks as well. Horns are played by young musicians Jamal Cole and Curtis Olawumi.

From the opening track to Williams’ fresh take on “XXX’s & OOO’s (An American Girl)” to close the album, My Black Country provides an ideal platform for celebrating not only Randall’s songwriting, but also Black female performers and the roots of authentic American music.

My Black Country: The Songs of Alice Randall is out April 12 on Oh Boy Records. Randall’s memoir, My Black Country, was published April 9 by Atria/Black Privilege Publishing via Simon & Schuster.