NPR has named Rhiannon Giddens one of the 25 Most Influential Women Musicians of the 21st Century, as part of its ongoing Turning the Tables project. The project had previously included her song "At the Purchaser's Option," from her 2017 album, Freedom Highway, among the 200 Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women+ in July. The latest honor was announced in a new NPR Music essay, titled "Rhiannon Giddens Is the 21st Century's Revelator," by singer-songwriter Kaia Kater, whom Giddens, as guest curator of the Cambridge Folk Festival, had invited to perform there this summer.

"When one considers the influential musicians of the 21st century, one might turn their mind to radio charts, to sold-out auditoriums and multiple shelves of awards. These feats are, of course, important—and Giddens boasts multiple accolades," writes Kater. "Giddens' influence, though, is not contained by her many accolades but, more profoundly, by her drive to unearth the stories of forgotten people so that her audience may remember them."

Kater goes on to say: "Throughout her career Giddens has been reaching towards something more imperative than the honors and praise she's received. With every performance, she gently enters the listener's mind, whittling away at our fallacy of perception as reality ... Most importantly, Giddens is continuing to make it possible for women of color to claim the space they deserve, and to create whatever kind of art they want within it. This, to me, is a gift."

You can read the complete essay at npr.org.