Leyla McCalla’s debut album, Vari-Colored Songs is one of the most well rounded a intellectually stimulating records I have heard in a long time. The elegant simplicity of the traditional tune, “Manman Mwen,” exhibits Leyla’s deep understanding for this music while still allowing the interpretation to sound fresh. This song features Leyla on the tenor banjo and vocals while Rhiannon Giddens plays the shaker and sings backing vocals. This song needs nothing more than it has and its simple instrumentation complements “Manman Mwen” in a very intentional way.

Leyla McCalla will be embarking on a 9 city tour starting November 15th at Serenbe Pavillion in Chattahoochee Hills, GA.

Check out all of her tour dates here

You can purchase Vari-Colored Songs here

– Corn Lewis