It's a bit of a bold move to suggest that the breadth, depth, and length of "Black roots music" could be captured in the running of two discs, but Birthright makes a valiant effort that is as focused on listenability as it is on historical accuracy and cultural representation. In the age of mutable playlists, the fixed sequence of a compilation album means that its true success is keeping listeners engaged in the act of drawing sonic and contextual connections that are as enjoyable as they are surprising. Thus, Birthright benefits from the convergent expertise of its compilers—noted music historian Dr. Ted Olson (Professor of Appalachian Studies at East Tennessee University) and multiple Grammy-winning producer Scott Billington—and is both as erudite as it is enjoyable.

Eschewing a chronological sequence as well as any sort of roll-call genre representation, Birthright opts for more organic interconnectedness, blasting out of the gate with a banger: "Bourbon Street Parade" by Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Of course New Orleans isn't the nucleus for Black roots music in America (there are many nuclei, which is kind of the point of this compilation), but if you were asked for a thesis statement on the idea, you could do a lot worse, given the range of traditions that flow through—and out of—New Orleans' musical heritage. Many of those traditions (and many more) are waypoints on this 40-track journey, with strong and surprising selections from artists both legendary and lesser-known. To their credit, the compilers have largely avoided the overplayed and obvious; The Staples Singers sig "Motherless Children" is far more impactful than yet another appearance for "Respect Yourself," and choosing "When I Lay My Burden Down" to represent John Lee Hooker is absolutely genius. Meanwhile, the set provides plenty of representation from historical artists like the Martin, Bogan, and The Armstrongs and Joseph Spence as well as newer acts like Ranky Tanky, in addition to icons like Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Clifton Chenier, Skip James and others. Such choices not only help make this an exceptionally listenable compilation, but they also reinforce the overarching theme of the set, which effectively argues that the Black musical traditions that have had a distinct and profound effect on American musical culture are not static, historical signposts, but instead are richly complex, intricately interconnected, and still incredibly vibrant and forward-moving. © Jason Ferguson

Tracklist
Disc: 1
1 Preservation Hall Jazz Band - Bourbon Street Parade
2 Station Blues - Corey Harris and Sharde Thomas
3 61 Highway - Mississippi Fred McDowell
4 Geo Buck (Feat. Joe Thompson) - Carolina Chocolate Drops
5 Ranky Tanky - Ranky Tanky
6 One Dime Blues - Etta Baker
7 Eunice Two Step - Bois Sec Ardoin and Canray Fontenot
8 Automobile Blues - Lightnin' Hopkins
9 Grizzly Bear - Bennie Richardson
10 Motherless Children - The Staple Singers
11 Blues Before Sunrise - Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry
12 Fox Chase - Dink Roberts
13 Sweet Georgia Brown - Martin, Bogan & Armstrong
14 Little Liza Jane - Golden Eagles
15 Ay-tete Fee - Clifton Chenier
16 Hard Killing Floor Blues - Skip James
17 Weary Blues - George Lewis Quartet
18 Yonder Come Day - Bessie Jones
19 We Will Understand It Better By and By - Joseph Spence
20 Best of All - The Dirty Dozen Brass Band

Disc: 2
1 Step In - Cedric Burnside
2 Pretty Polly - Amythyst Kiah
3 St. Louis Blues - Lonnie Johnson with Elmer Snowden
4 Money Is King - Leyla McCalla
5 Polly Put the Kettle On - Dom Flemons
6 Diving Duck Blues - Taj Mahal and Keb' Mo'
7 Crying Blues - Boozoo Chavis
8 Morning Train - Campbell Brothers
9 When I Lay My Burden Down - John Lee Hooker
10 Titanic - Lesley Riddle
11 Go to the Mardi Gras - Professor Longhair
12 Candy Man - Mississippi John Hurt
13 San Francisco Bay Blues - Jesse Fuller
14 Special Delivery Blues - Odetta
15 Step It Up and Go - John Jackson
16 Arkansas Blues - Tuts Washington
17 Lo, I Will Be With You Always - Rev. Gary Davis
18 Ups On the Farm - Inmate named Peter
19 John Henry - Cephas & Wiggins
20 Study War No More - Sweet Honey in the Rock



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