The Capitalist Blues
Following her breakthrough stint with roots string band The Carolina Chocolate Drops, singer and multi-instrumentalist Leyla McCalla has proven a bright solo artist. After two albums featuring her trademark cello, the versatile McCalla shifts to tenor banjo and electric guitar on *The Capitalist Blues*, which explores the music of her adopted New Orleans hometown and her Haitian heritage. These songs reach across an Afro-Caribbean musical spectrum: There’s calypso on \"Money Is King,\" zydeco accordion on the buoyant “Oh My Love,” and swinging soul on “Heavy as Lead,” a song about water poisoning. If that sounds dreary, know that McCalla is a balanced songwriter who wisely pairs trenchant lyrics with cathartic and often joyful music. While she addresses the effects of living in a capitalist society, she also celebrates the many musical cultures in which she makes herself at home.
From the moment she left the Carolina Chocolate Drops to pursue a solo career, Leyla McCalla married edification with liberation: a musical testament to the fact that knowledge is power.
Listeners should expect tenacious political and social commentary from an album titled The Capitalist Blues.