Rhiannon Giddens

Rhiannon Giddens is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (typically banjo and fiddle) whose work focuses on traditional folk music as well as blues and country, going back to her beginnings as a founding member of Carolina Chocolate Drops in the mid '00s. She is an outstanding vocalist with an opera trained voice (a detail that is hard to miss). Her background in Gaelic folk and interest in African-American folk history give her catalog considerable breadth.  Her songs are a mixture of originals, covers, and a good number of folk tunes that may often be obscure to mainstream fans. She presents the latter in ways that closely observe their traditional forms to a great transportive effect. Her 2023 album You're The One breaks the mold somewhat with its relatively uncharacteristic pop overtones.