The Virginia-born, Los Angeles-based artist, songwriter, and producer Swamp Dogg has released his 26th album, 'Blackgrass: From West Virginia to 125th Street,' via Oh Boy Records.
The album features guitarist Vernon Reid, harmony trio The Cactus Blossoms, and guest vocalists Margo Price and Jenny Lewis.
Dogg Finally Drops 26th Album
The 12-song collection, which was produced by Ryan Olson (Poliça, Gayngs), was recorded with an all-star band including Noam Pikelny, Sierra Hull, Jerry Douglas, Chris Scruggs, Billy Contreras, and Kenny Vaughan.
It is a wild mash-up of the sacred and the profane. It also blurs the boundaries of folk, roots, country, blues, and soul in a typical Dogg way.
Dogg played a hometown gig at Zebulon in Los Angeles to celebrate the album's release.
'Mess Under That Dress' and 'Count The Days' with Jenny Lewis are two of the album's pre-release singles that have received positive reviews from Brooklyn Vegan, Exclaim, Flood Magazine, Garden & Gun, Stereogum, and The New York Times.
The Hollywood Reporter and The Austin Chronicle praised the feature-length documentary 'Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted,' which debuted at SXSW in March. They described it as "a documentary that draws its voice and aesthetic from the spirit of its subject, resulting in a tight 97 minutes that feel organic and satisfying and, as befits that subject, appealingly odd."
Rolling Stone also featured Dogg's official showcase in their best of SXSW roundup. They said that Dogg sounded bold and robust, his vigor encouraging his band to ratchet up the energy, and every musician on stage was locked into an undeniable groove.
Furthermore, Dogg is scheduled to play a few select shows nationwide, including a showcase at AmericanaFest in September.
Dogg Mentions Album's Inspiration
"Not a lot of people talk about the true origins of bluegrass music," Dogg said, "but it came from Black people. The banjo, the washtub, all that stuff started with African Americans. We were playing it before it even had a name. I'm trying to touch on every kind of music I grew up loving and listening to. This is my way of letting people know that I'm not just a soul singer or whatever they think I am. I'm so much more."
Dogg shared about the recently released track that he wrote 'Ugly Man's Wife' with one of his favorite co-writers, Bob Jones, who is now deceased. He claimed he kept his word and promised to record it on his next album.
You can now listen to the twelve-song collection here.
You can also listen to the album here on Spotify.
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