If It's Too Loud...

We love covers here at If It's Too Loud..., and we love Dom Flemons. Typically, he goes way in the past of American music for covers, but he recently released a video of his band and himself covering Wyclef Jean's "Bubblegoose." Wyclef is somehow both the most overrated and underrated artist of the last 20 years, and this is a great take on his song. Dom Flemons' version strays away from the R&B of the original and gives it more of a hip-hop/folk twist that would have made the original a much better song. In the middle they cram the chorus of Outkast's "Ms. Jackson." Not really sure why since it seems forced and distracts from the rest of the song, but it's there. For more info about Dom Flemons, including ordering his fantastic album from earlier this year, Prospect Hill , head on over to his website . He also has some dates coming up with Wesley Stace's Cabinet of Wonders and Old Crow Medicine Show . You can also follow Wyclef on ...

I don't know if I can truly call Leyla McCalla a current obsession. I first discovered her playing the FreshGrass Festival in 2012. She was still with the Carolina Chocolate Drops then and played her own set earlier in the day. I think it's pretty safe to say no one had ever heard of her before that day, but everyone who was there for her set shares my obsession. She even had a true encore, which is incredibly rare for a slot early in the day at a festival. As soon as I saw her, I wanted to own everything she had out, which, unfortunately, was nothing. Her debut album, Vari-Colored Songs, A Tribute to Langston Hughes , comes out February 4. It's by far my most anticipated release of 2014. How does a debut album from a little known artist best known for being a short time member of Carolina Chocolate Drops become my most anticipated release in a year that promises albums from Drive-By Truckers, Beck, and Wu-Tang Clan? By being one of the most original voices folk has see...

Carolina Chocolate Drops are one of the best live bands out there today. I had heard great things about them, but their albums never really grabbed me. It wasn’t until I stumbled onto their set while waiting for Wanda Jackson at the 2011 Newport Folk Festival that I truly understood them. Once I heard they were playing in a park on the river in Portsmouth , NH , I knew I had to go. Since the venue is a public park that only charges a modest “suggested donation” of $8.00 for live concerts, you get a really interesting mix of hipsters, families with small children, and retired folks having discussions about spending the day “having a sail.” The Creepy Old Guy factor was, thankfully, non-existent. It’s a very diverse crowd, and I was worried it wouldn’t be in a good way. Carolina Chocolate Drops encourage a certain amount of energy and participation from the crowd. They’re the kind of folk band you need to move to. Once they started playing the first of two sets that night, I rea...