You're the One

by Rhiannon Giddens

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Pulitzer Prize and Grammy winning Rhiannon Giddens gives us another masterpiece in You're The One, her first album of all-original songs. On this new album, Giddens experiments with livelier rhythms and vocal styles infused with jazz, country, and zydeco, resulting in her most eclectic and interesting work to date.

After winning the Pulitzer Prize in Music for Omar, her opera based on Omar ibn Said's 1831 autobiography A Muslim American Slave: The Life of Omar ibn Said, who could blame Rhiannon Giddens for wanting to loosen up a bit with You're the One, an album she recorded after the production's 2022 debut? After focusing on such a serious project, it makes sense that Giddens would want to shift gears with You're the One, an album that bears many musical connections to the former Carolina Chocolate Drops leader's body of work yet feels entirely different. Working with Jack Splash -- a producer whose resume includes recordings by Alicia Keys, Solange Knowles, Jazmine Sullivan, Mayer Hawthorne, and Kendrick Lamar -- Giddens creates what is effectively her crossover album, touching upon pop and soul without ever losing sight of either her roots or her impeccable taste. Occasionally, Giddens focuses her attention on a specific sound, such as the folky "Way Over Yonder," but such streamlined excursions go against her very aesthetic: she thrives where cultures intersect, maybe even clash. You're the One is filled with such moments. "Too Little, Too Late, Too Bad" is a country-funk number, she steers the folk of the title track toward pop territory, the righteous anger of "Another Wasted Life" is wrapped in a lush, cinematic arrangement, the rural imagery of "Hen in the Foxhouse" is given a decidedly urbane treatment. It's remarkable how these fusions feel bright and lively and every bit as sharp as the Americana-leaning Freedom Highway. Giddens may be emphasizing a different side of her personality -- and perhaps courting a different audience -- but she's made no compromises. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	08/18/2023
Label:	Nonesuch
UPC:	0075597907483

Tracks

1. Too Little, Too Late, Too Bad
2. You're The One
3. Yet To Be
4. Wrong Kind Of Right
5. Another Wasted Life
6. You Louisiana Man
7. If You Don't Know How Sweet It Is
8. Hen In The Foxhouse
9. Who Are You Dreaming Of
10. You Put The Sugar In My Bowl
11. Way Over Yonder
12. Good Ol' Cider

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Rhiannon Giddens   Primary Artist,Banjo,Viola,Vocals
Jack Splash   Guitar,Wurlitzer,Percussion,Fender Rhodes
Jason Isbell   Featured Artist
Dirk Powell   Piano,Fiddle,Guitar,Accordion
Francesco Turrisi   Piano,Accordion,Frame Drum,Tamburello
Dwayne Bennett   Keyboards
Jason "Number One" Sypher   Bass (Upright)
Humberto Ibarra   Percussion
Eric Escanes   Guitar (Electric)
Tadarius McCombs   Bass (Electric)
Eryn Allen Kane   Vocals (Background)
Niwel Tsumbu   Guitar (Nylon String)
Terrence Grizzle Jr   Drums

Technical Credits

Traditional   Composer
Greg Calbi   Mastering
Keb' Mo'   Composer
Jack Splash   Engineer,Producer,Drum Programming
Rhiannon Giddens   Composer
Dirk Powell   Composer
Steve Fallone   Mastering
Kenny Takahashi   Mixing
Marcus Hummon   Composer
Alex Kadvan   Executive Producer
David Bither   Executive Producer
Jeri Heiden   Design
Lawrence Mitchell   String Engineer
Bhi Bhiman   Composer
Ian Mercel   Engineer
Lalenja Harrington   Composer
Ebru Yildiz   Photography
Andrew Selchow   Assistant Engineer