| Blackgrass: From West Virginia to 125th St |
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| Released | May 31, 2024 (2024-05-31) |
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| Length | 41:33 |
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| Label | Oh Boy |
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| Producer | Ryan Olson |
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Blackgrass: From West Virginia to 125th St is a studio album by American singer and record producer Swamp Dogg. It was released on May 31, 2024 via Oh Boy Records. Produced by Ryan Olson, it features guest appearances from Jenny Lewis, Margo Price and Vernon Reid. The album debuted at number 2 on the Billboard Bluegrass Albums chart in the United States.
Critical reception
Blackgrass: From West Virginia to 125th St was met with generally favourable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 85 based on five reviews.[1]
Avery Gregurich of PopMatters called the album "a timeless collection of American music that could only be created and delivered by the 81-year-old self-proclaimed 'original D-O-double G'".[3] Robert Christgau praised the album, stating: "on John Prine's label, with Margo Price, Jenny Lewis, and closet bluegrass adept/adaptor Vernon Reid contributing cameos, he revs up the songwriting. The Price feature "To The Other Woman" is a special standout, with "Your Best Friend" a made-to-order B side. And the racial charge of the "Murder Ballad" closer is more than a little eerie".[4] AllMusic's Mark Deming noted: "Blackgrass shows he can make a memorable bluegrass album as easily as he can craft a potent soul groove. The surroundings are unexpected, the quality is not".[2] Tom Hull resumed: "while he's always had a fair bit of country in him, he waited until he turned 80 to indulge it here".[6]
Track listing
| Title | Writer(s) |
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| 1. | "Mess Under That Dress" | Jerry Williams Jr. | 2:38 |
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| 2. | "Ugly Mans Wife" | Williams Jr. | 2:55 |
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| 3. | "Curtains on the Window" | - Williams Jr.
- Wayne Stegall
- Dwayne Stegall
| 2:30 |
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| 4. | "Have a Good Time" | | 3:50 |
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| 5. | "To the Other Woman" (featuring Margo Price) | | 3:54 |
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| 6. | "Songs to Sing" | Williams Jr. | 4:25 |
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| 7. | "Count the Days" (featuring Jenny Lewis) | - Yvonne Williams
- Brooks O'Dell
| 2:43 |
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| 8. | "Gotta Have My Baby Back" | Floyd Tillman | 3:54 |
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| 9. | "Your Best Friend" | - Williams Jr.
- Larry Harrison
| 2:33 |
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| 10. | "This Is My Dream" | Williams Jr. | 2:44 |
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| 11. | "Rise Up" (featuring Vernon Reid) | Williams Jr. | 3:25 |
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| 12. | "Murder Ballad" | Williams Jr. | 6:02 |
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| Total length: | 41:33 |
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Personnel
- Jerry "Swamp Dogg" Williams Jr. – vocals, producer
- Christopher Alan "Chris" Scruggs – backing vocals (tracks: 1, 7), bass, percussion (track 7), lap steel guitar (track 8)
- Harry Stinson – backing vocals (tracks: 1, 7)
- Rory Hoffman – backing vocals (tracks: 1, 7), banjo & 12-string mandolin (track 6), mandolin & accordion (track 8), whistle (tracks: 8, 12), cello banjo (track 12)
- The Cactus Blossoms – backing vocals (track 2)
- Blake Morgan – backing vocals (tracks: 4, 8)
- Margo Rae Price – vocals (track 5)
- Channy Leaneagh – backing vocals (track 5)
- Lauren Alford – backing vocals (track 5)
- Madison Hallman – backing vocals (track 5)
- Jennifer Diane Lewis – vocals (track 7)
- Sid Sriram – backing vocals (track 7)
- Justin Vernon – backing vocals (track 9)
- Kenneth W. Vaughan – guitar (tracks: 1–5, 7, 9, 10), acoustic guitar (tracks: 8, 11)
- Noam Pikelny – banjo (tracks: 1–5, 7, 9–11)
- Billy Contreras – fiddle
- Sierra Hull – mandolin (tracks: 1–5, 7, 9, 10)
- Jerry Douglas – dobro (tracks: 2–5, 9)
- Tim Fain – violin (track 6)
- Alistair Sung – cello (track 6)
- Carmen Jonathan Camerieri – french horn (track 6)
- Larry "MoogStar" Clemon – keyboards (track 10)
- Vernon Reid – electric guitar (track 11)
- Ryan Olson – producer
- Alex Nutter – additional producer (track 12)
- Mark Nevers – engineering
- Zack Pancoast – engineering assistant
- David McMurry – photography
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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References
- ^ a b "Critic Reviews for Blackgrass: From West Virginia to 125th St. - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
- ^ a b Deming, Mark. "Blackgrass: From West Virginia to 125th St. - Swamp Dogg". AllMusic. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
- ^ a b Gregurich, Avery (June 5, 2024). "Swamp Dogg Goes Bluegrass and Americana on 'Blackgrass' » PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
- ^ a b Christgau, Robert (August 14, 2024). "Consumer Guide". And It Don't Stop. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
- ^ Sobsey, Adam (June 2, 2024). "Swamp Dogg: Blackgrass: From West Virginia to 125th Street". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
- ^ a b Hull, Tom (June 3, 2024). "Tom Hull: Grade List: Swamp Dogg". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
- ^ "Bluegrass Albums". Billboard. June 15, 2024. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
- ^ "Bluegrass Albums – Year-End 2024". Billboard. December 2024. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
External links
[2]