Pretty Little Chords

The Piedmont plateau region stretches across the Eastern Seaboard from Alabama, through Virginia, and up toward New Jersey. That’s where an old form of blues comes from, and the theme of a new collection from Smithsonian Folkways. As our own Grant Britt details, the Piedmont sound differs from traditional blues in that it carries with it “pretty little chords.” Listen closely and you might just hear them. Also in our disc changer this week: Ruthie Foster’s back with an album’s worth of joy, Jake McKelvie honors the singin’ waitstaffer, and Drew Holcomb returns with his neighbors in tow.