In his latest release, Jayme Stone seeks innovation through tradition in a thoughtful tribute to folklorist and field collector Alan Lomax, who would have become 100 this year if he were still alive. The Lomax Project features an amalgamation of indelible musicians such as Julian Lage, Margaret Glaspy, and Tim O’Brien. Stone acts as showrunner, guiding them across a musical landscape as vast as Earth itself in order to accurately deliver a series of tracks that had inspired Lomax at some point during his life, with a vibrant selection up for listening pleasure as a result.
While some tracks are greater hits than others on the album, the entire collective provides an interesting, well-educated view on Lomax’s travels and the songs that came with them.
320 kbps | 157 MB UL | MC ** FLAC
Standouts include an impassioned rendition of “Goodbye, Old Paint”, call and response number “Sheep, Sheep Don’t’cha Know the Road”, and Caribbean-flavored calypso folk track “Bury Boula for Me”. Those who purchase a physical edition of The Lomax Project will be in for a special treat, as the packaging comes along with a built-in book of essays and lyric notes explaining the history of the project even further.
The Lomax Project is an album that warrants an actual listen. Presenting much more to its audience than simple background history, the album is a leap through time and an introduction to the life of a man worthy of being celebrated.