Build a House

Submitted by nonesuch on Mon, 10/03/2022 - 17:52
Release Date
DescriptionExcerpt

Rhiannon Giddens wrote “Build a House” for the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth in 2020; she performs it here with renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma and multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi. The song, which then inspired Giddens’ children’s book of the same name (out on Candlewick Press), tells of African Americans who were forcibly enslaved and brought to the US to build houses they were not allowed to live in, tend to families who were not their own, and sow the seeds that fed a nation—while being left with only scraps themselves. It depicts a family’s resilience in the face of violence and sorrow.

Description

Rhiannon Giddens wrote “Build a House” for the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth in 2020; she performs it with renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma and multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi in this recording, released October 11, 2022. The song, which then inspired Giddens’ children’s book of the same name (out on Candlewick Press), tells of African Americans who were forcibly enslaved and brought to the US to build houses they were not allowed to live in, tend to families who were not their own, and sow the seeds that fed a nation—while being left with only scraps themselves. It depicts a family’s resilience in the face of violence and sorrow.

Album Status
Artist Name
Rhiannon Giddens
reissues?
new-release
Cover Art
UPC/Price
Label
96/24 HD FLAC
Price
1.39
UPC
075597906059
Label
MP3
Price
1.29
UPC
075597906035

Track Listing

News & Reviews

  • Congratulations to Rhiannon Giddens, who received an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Princeton University at the commencement ceremony this morning. "Named by NPR as one of the 25 Most Influential Women Musicians of the 21st Century, she has dedicated her career to raising up voices that have been overlooked or erased," says the school. "Few contemporary artists have done more to connect overlooked musical traditions of America’s past with music being performed today."

  • Rhiannon Giddens’ You’re the One, her third solo studio album and her first of all original songs, is due August 18. This collection of twelve tunes written over the course of her career bursts with life-affirming energy, drawing from the folk music she knows so deeply and its pop descendants. The album was produced by Jack Splash (Kendrick Lamar, Solange, Alicia Keys, Valerie June) and recorded in Miami with a ten- to twelve-person ensemble including Giddens’ closest musical collaborators from the past decade and a horn section. The lone featured guest on the album is Jason Isbell on "Yet to Be." The album's title track is out today; you can watch the lyric video here. Giddens will lead the biggest headlining shows of her career to celebrate the album's release.

  • About This Album

    Rhiannon Giddens wrote “Build a House” for the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth in 2020; she performs it with renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma and multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi in this recording, released October 11, 2022. The song, which then inspired Giddens’ children’s book of the same name (out on Candlewick Press), tells of African Americans who were forcibly enslaved and brought to the US to build houses they were not allowed to live in, tend to families who were not their own, and sow the seeds that fed a nation—while being left with only scraps themselves. It depicts a family’s resilience in the face of violence and sorrow.