Heavy gauge
Bjørn Berge (guitarist)
Keywords
Reviews (2)
All about jazz
d. 6. May 2020
By
By
Dan Bilawsky
d. 6. May 2020
"With a focus on Black American Music, as born and developed in fields, churches and social gatherings, Hold On relies heavily on the strength of roots ... Vocalist Chanda Rule expresses and sees to that understanding between origins and original performance(s) on this arresting collection of material largely focusing on music birthed by unnamed and unknown African-Americans ... Chanda Rule and the Sweet Emma Band map out an odyssey moving through Black America's sound, promise and pride".
Living blues
2020 July
By
By
David Whiteis
2020 July
"This set, which consists primarily of songs "originally written and sung by unnamed and undocumented African American mothers, fathers, workers, prisoners, preachers, sons, and daughters" (...) is her "musical libation" to these ancestral spirits. Rule is no "revivalist" purist. Although remaining true to the spirit of her material, she also brings to it her well-honed gifts as a jazz singer, as well as her background in theater; she updates the songs with modern instrumentation ... She has also added new verses and re-crafted some of the original ones to bring the subject matter more starkly into a contemporary context ... This is essential music. Its message is timeless, and Rule's stated mission of cultural and historical reclamation makes it more relevant than ever".