Leyla McCalla shares cover of landmark protest song ‘Freedom Is A Constant Struggle’
LEYLA MCCALLA SHARES COVER OF LANDMARK PROTEST SONG ‘FREEDOM IS A CONSTANT STRUGGLE’
FIRST IN SERIES OF SINGLES ON THE THEME OF FREEDOM
EUROPEAN TOUR IN NOVEMBER
“An ambitious, accomplished piece of work”
4/5 The Observer
“An exquisite distillation of hope and perseverance, mystery and humanity”
4/5 Mojo
“A powerful history of Haitian journalism in musical form”
8/10 Uncut
“Full of revolutionary spirit”
The FADER
“There’s a rich sense of poetry that Leyla McCalla’s delivery pushes to a different sphere”
Clash
Watch the lyric video for ‘Freedom Is A Constant Struggle’ here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbpD4AaOqLI
Listen to ‘Freedom Is A Constant Struggle’ here:
https://leylamccalla.ffm.to/fiacs
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Today, following singer and activist Barbara Dane’s 96th birthday, Leyla McCalla is sharing a powerful rendition of ‘Freedom Is A Constant Struggle’, a meaningful 1966 Civil Rights-era a capella protest song Dane famously sang and recorded with the Chambers Brothers. McCalla’s version was recorded in New Orleans with an incredible all-woman choir featuring Joy Clark, Lilli Lewis, Sabine McCalla, Sula Spirit and Cassie Watson Francillon.
The first in a series of singles McCalla plans to release on the theme of freedom, she says:
“With so many of our fault lines agitated and further exposed by the pandemic, I find myself connecting more deeply with my emotional state in the context of the ways the capitalist system fails us. Music is a healing force – it helps us to know ourselves better and it helps us to take the temperature on where we stand. These are the songs that have served as a balm to my personal journey over the past few years as I’ve navigated heartbreak, outrage, grief and hope.”
Last year McCalla released her critically acclaimed album Breaking The Thermometer, a record that combines original compositions and traditional Haitian tunes with historical broadcasts and contemporary interviews to forge an immersive sonic journey through a half century of racial, social, and political unrest. “Leyla McCalla has long been one of the most thoughtful figures working to trace American folk music’s lineage to other countries and continents”, said Bandcamp upon the album’s release.
The record was featured in the best songs and albums of 2022 by The Guardian, MOJO, NPR Music and more, and the song ‘Dodinin’ was featured on Barack Obama’s Favourite Music of 2022 Playlist.After a short run of European tour dates last month, McCalla will be back overseas in July and November to play a selection of festival and headline shows. Info and tickets can be found here:
https://leylamccalla.com/tour.
Photo credit: Laura E. Partain
High-res images can be found here
Purchase Breaking The Thermometer here:
https://leylamccalla.bandcamp.com/album/breaking-the-thermometer
Praise for Breaking The Thermometer:
“An ambitious, accomplished piece of work”
4/5 The Observer
“An exquisite distillation of hope and perseverance, mystery and humanity”
4/5 Mojo
“A powerful history of Haitian journalism in musical form”
8/10 Uncut
“A haunting, heartfelt immersion in Haitian history, fully invested and alive with poignancy and power”
4/5 Record Collector
“Starkly beautiful, the melodies graceful and the message compelling”
4/5 Songlines
‘4/5’ The FT
“Beautifully textured voice as powerful in English as it is in Kreyòl”
8/10 God Is In The TV
“Full of revolutionary spirit”
The FADER
“There’s a rich sense of poetry that Leyla McCalla’s delivery pushes to a different sphere”
Clash
“A balmy, beautiful and necessary form of protest”
Beats Per Minute
“A vivid portrait and soundtrack of the stories and memories of Haiti”
Stance
“It is an extremely intelligent album, but it is also a warm, hopeful, angry, questioning one”
Folk Radio