You're the One

The common thread is that she sounds like she’s having fun, skipping through these eras and genres. It’s all still fit for a pledge drive, but Giddens is pledging her fealty to the spirit that made all these forms of music a kick in the pants in their heyday.

You’re the One occasionally suffers from its lofty goals: “Who Are You Dreaming Of,” which sets her voice to luxurious orchestration ordinary reserved for pre-rock standards, feels oddly out of place. But on her most outward-looking record, Giddens melds the past and present, writing a bold new future for herself in the process.

It's remarkable how these fusions feel bright and lively and every bit as sharp as the Americana-leaning Freedom Highway. Giddens may be emphasizing a different side of her personality--and perhaps courting a different audience--but she's made no compromises.

The countrier she keeps it, the better. [Sep 2023, p.43]

You’re the One can get a little lost in its own scope, both a strength and weakness, but Giddens’ exploration of the extensive history of American music continues to be compelling and enlightening.