Formed in 2005 by Rhiannon Giddens, Dom Flemons and Justin Robinson, all African Americans, the Carolina Chocolate Drops has gone where only the Mississippi Sheiks, mythical giants of prewar blues, had gone before. Even if its sales never match Mumford & Sons, the group has genuinely popularized the sound of true hillbilly music, with bones, jugs, banjo and fiddle fully intact — and it has innovated every stomping step of the way. Even with the departure of Robinson last year, the Drops' 2012 album Leaving Eden is a powerhouse of brawny rhythm and bold hooks, as danceable as dubstep and a hundred times funkier and deeper in its history and humanity.
New Faces: Multi-instrumentalist Hubby Jenkins and beatboxer Adam Matta have given the CCDs even more muscle — and the Sheldon Concert Hall is the ideal place to hear them flex it.
