Swamp Dogg has announced a new album called Blackgrass: From West Virginia To 125th Street, his follow-up to 2022’s I Need A Job…So I Can Buy More Auto-Tune. As you might surmise from the title, it’s a bluegrass album.

“Not a lot of people talk about the true origins of bluegrass music,” Swamp Dogg said in a statement, “But it came from Black people. The banjo, the washtub, all that stuff started with African Americans. We were playing it before it even had a name. I’m trying to touch on every kind of music I grew up loving and listening to. This is my way of letting people know that I’m not just a soul singer or whatever they think I am. I’m so much more.”

Blackgrass was produced by Ryan Olson, and the band that plays on it includes Noam Pikelny, Sierra Hull, Jerry Douglas, Chris Scruggs, Billy Contreras, and Kenny Vaughan. There are also guest features from Justin Vernon, Jenny Lewis, Margo Price, and Vernon Reid.

Listen to lead single “Mess Under That Dress” below.

TRACKLIST:
01 “Mess Under That Dress”
02 “Ugly Man’s Wife”
03 “Curtains On The Window”
04 “Have A Good Time”
05 “To The Other Woman” (Feat. Margo Price)
06 “Songs To Sing”
07 “Count The Days” (Feat. Jenny Lewis)
08 “Gotta Have My Baby Back”
09 “Your Best Friend”
10 “This Is My Dream”
11 “Rise Up” (Feat. Vernon Reid)
12 “Murder Ballad”

Blackgrass: From West Virginia To 125th Street is out 5/31 via Oh Boy Records.