Classic North Carolina Albums - Part 4

Avett Brothers: Mignonette (2004)

Before they were selling out stadiums, recording albums with Rick Rubin, and serving as subjects of HBO documentaries, Concord, North Carolina’s Avett Brothers were putting out folk rock albums on Ramseur Records. Mignonette, the Avett’s third release on Dolph Ramseur’s record label, saw the group come into their own with tight harmonies, polished songwriting, and a balance of tender love songs and energetic barn-burners that they would ride to international acclaim.

Fantasia: Free Yourself (2004)

The first of three American Idol victors from North Carolina, High Point’s Fantasia Barrino’s debut album, Free Yourself, saw her collaborating with some of the best in the business – including Jermaine Dupri and Missy Elliott . The album sold 250,000 copies in its first week, eventually receiving platinum status and earning three Grammy nominations.

Eric Church: Carolina (2009)

Country music superstar Eric Church’s sophomore release is a literal acknowledgement to his home. Carolina, released in 2009, helped Church solidify himself in the country scene, giving him three Top-10 hits on the Billboard Hot Country charts. The night before the album was officially released, Church returned to his alma mater, Appalachian State University – just up the road from his hometown of Granite Falls – and passed out copies to students.

Branford Marsalis Quartet with the North Carolina Symphony: American Spectrum (2009)

A North Carolina based living jazz legend teams up with America’s first continuously state-funded orchestra for a fantastic revue of American classical music. Marsalis’ quartet along with the 66-member orchestra, conducted by Grant Llewellyn, brings us beautiful renditions of Michael Daugherty’s “Sunset Strip”, John Williams’ “Escapades” from Catch Me If You Can, and Christopher Rouse’s “Frandises” suite.

John Coltrane: A Love Supreme (1965)

Coltrane made an appearance earlier this month via his momentous collaboration album with Thelonious Monk, but there is no way we couldn’t include what might just be the most important jazz album of all time. Composed entirely by Coltrane, A Love Supreme is a meditation on faith, personal growth, addiction and acceptance. Through the songs “Acknowledgment,” “Resolution,” “Pursuance”, and “Psalm.” Coltrane utilized what he referred to as “musical narration” to portray a message without words. At just over 30-minutes, this recording is concise but pointed, with every note intentional and full of purpose.

Hiss Golden Messenger: Heart Like a Levee (2016)

“You can’t choose your blues / But you might as well own them” a triumphant refrain in the chorus of this album’s second track, “Tell Her I’m Just Dancing,” and as good a summary for M.C. Taylor’s output with Hiss Golden Messenger as any. His seventh LP, and second with North Carolina indie powerhouse Merge Records, gives the listener a full peek into everything Taylor and co. have to offer – blue-eyed soul, neo-folk, bluesy psychedelia – all drenched in a distinctly North Carolina slow-drawl.

Blind Boy Fuller: East Coast Piedmont Style (1991)

We close this week with another compilation album, which is a necessary concession for a Piedmont blues artist like Fulton Allen aka Blind Boy Fuller. This collection of songs, recorded from 1935 to 1938 and remastered in 1991, were all singles captured and released by ARC (American Record Corporation), with whom Fuller recorded over 120 songs. This record showcases his skills as a guitarist in the Piedmont blues style, clever songwriting and his clear and direct voice. Many of Blind Boy Fuller’s songs have become blues standards, including “Rag Mama Rag.”