Gangstagrass: The Blackest Thing on the Menu
When singer/guitarist Rench decided to put together Gangstagrass, a vehicle to blend bluegrass and hip-hop, most folks thought he was crazy. After six albums, an Emmy nomination for “Long Hard Times to Come” (the theme song for the FX Series Justified) and an appearance on America’s Got Talent, his vision for urban-flavored twang has proven to be surprisingly successful. Blackest Thing, the band’s eighth outing, should continue their winning streak, leaning heavily on the hip-hop/groove side of the equation. They open with “The Only Way Out Is Through,” which not only showcases the great Jerry Douglas and Gangstagrass’ banjo player, Dan Whitener, but also rappers R-SON and Dolio the Sleuth. Rench sings alone, with a banjo in the background, at the outset of opener “Mother;” it’s a protest song, addressing racism and looming ecological disasters, with R-SON and Dolio laying the blame at the feet of white men who use “the Bible as a gun, religion as a knife.” The outfit shifts to more of a trad-rock groove for “Gone Gone,” while Whitener turns in bluesy choruses between rap interludes rife with images of urban decay. “Palette”—an R&B tune boasting electric keys, rolling bass and a touch of wah-wah guitar—is an invitation for a lover to march down the aisle. The Lowdown Brass Band supplies texture to “Avenue Boy,” a portrait of the hopelessness many young people feel growing up in poor, working class neighborhoods. At the end of the set, Dolio and R-SON pay homage to their African roots with “Sankofa”—a funk-rap tune based on a word from the Akan Tribe of Ghana that advises listeners to not only be proud of their history but also to inspire future generations.
