Carolina Chocolate Drops, Heritage

There's nothing new in American musicians getting together with banjos and fiddles to revive the string-band songs or blues of the 1920s and 30s - but they almost always tend to be white folk revivalists. But Carolina Chocolate Drops are different: they are a young black trio who have studied the history of the old string bands, black and white alike, and are determined to keep the tradition going. Their playing and singing show that this is a band worth checking out. Many of their songs are standards, from the prison lament Another Man Done Gone to the Mississippi Sheiks' good-time favourite from the 30s, Sitting on Top of the World, and even the Irish-Appalachian fiddle workout, Real Old Mountain Dew. They throw in just one west African song, to show their range. The result is a cheerfully enthusiastic set, dressed up with some fine unaccompanied singing. There is excellent banjo and fiddle work from Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson, who sound equally good when they swap instruments. They tour the UK in March.