Rhiannon Giddens And Francesco Turrisi Join Forces For New Album

Rhiannon Giddens’ forthcoming album there is no Other was recorded and produced over a span of five days in Dublin. Giddens aims to celebrate creativity, commonality and condemn the idea of “othering”. She enlisted the help of multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi to bring her project to life; the two finding kindred spirits in each other through their shared appreciation for the cultural universality of music.

there is no Other is illuminated by the sounds of various cultures, including sounds from Africa and Arab countries. The range of instruments featured on the record is indicative of such cultural influence, with hardly any editing or overdubbing. Giddens can be heard singing and playing minstrel banjo, octave violin and viola – while Turrisi showcases his skills in piano, accordion, frame drum, tamburello, lute, cello banjo, daf and colascione.

Giddens and Turrisi have collaborated before in their scoring of the ballet Lucy Negro Redux, which they continue to promote while debuting singles from there is no Other. Giddens is driven to question our present and reveal the bold truths of human lives, which has highly influenced her album. Boasting a solo career along with multiple side projects and collaborations, there is no Other is yet another brainchild of Giddens’ genius.

The duo will be debuting songs from their album this week at Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, TN. there is no Other is due May 3rd on Nonesuch Records.

Pre-order there is no Other .

For more information and tour dates, check out the duo’s artist page.