Jake Blount – “The Downward Road”

SXSW 2023 – OEB Score 9, Popularity Index 6

Pairs well with … Blind Willie McTell, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Sister Rosetta Thorpe

The new album by Jake Blount, The New Faith, is comprised of modern interpretations of Black gospel and folk spirituals, primarily through fiddle and banjo old-timey instrumentation. Relying on his background in ethno-musicology, Blount studied field recordings of Black religious services from the early 20th Century to be able to include sounds from across the African diaspora including Belize, Georgia, Jamaica, Texas, Mississippi to name a few.

But it’s also a concept album, set in a post-climate change apocalyptic future, focusing on the journey and arrival of a small group of African American refugees to an island sanctuary in Maine. Each section of the album begins with a post-fire and brimstone song/sermon by Blount with not much more than some handclap accompaniment. The reimagined gospel and spirituals draw on Blount’s incredible musicianship and deep knowledge of African-American contributions to old-timey and bluegrass music. For example, he has explained to white audiences about the West African roots of the banjo.  

But Blount takes yet another leap on this record, collaborating with rapper Demeanor on three songs, essentially inventing a new genre – old-timey hip hop. It works, and it makes sense, tying together the oldest and new expressions of African American music.. 

His official showcase is on Friday at 10:00 pm in the stately Victorian Rome at the Driskill Hotel. Many of us go to SXSW to learn more about music but a Jake Blount set will surely be revelatory. Take this to be true, for OEB has spoken. (David Zlotnick)