Dust Sleeve

North Carolina’s string band, Carolina Chocolate Drops, dropped their label debut early this year on Nonesuch Records. Genuine Negro Jig features original tracks along with covers played in a traditional southern string style. The trio swaps banjo, jug, guitar, fiddle, harmonica, and anything else that can add to their roots Americana sound.

MP3: Carolina Chocolate Drops – Hit Em Up Style

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Easily the most interesting track on the record is a cover of Blu Cantrell’s “Hit ‘Em Up Style” – where contemporary R & B mixes with the Drops string style, creating a pretty strong statement on the history of “race music” in the United States. Some may be equally surprised to hear their cover of Tom Waits’ “Trampled Rose”, another of the stronger tracks on the album.

Clevelanders can check out the Carolina Chocolate Drops tomorrow, July 14th, at the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame, where the group will be performing as part of the museum’s free summer concert series. Local folk favorites the Lighthouse and the Whaler open, and more information on the show can be found here.