CANCELED LEYLA MCCALLA.  Americana, Creole zydeco, New Orleans boogie, Haitian folk, rockabilly and rhythm & blues: these are just some of the roots music genres Haitian-American singer-songwriter Leyla McCalla embraces. The former cellist for the Grammy Award-winning folk outfit, the Carolina Chocolate Drops, McCalla’s solo career has seen her expanding her musical influences and sharpening her lyrical focus.

The daughter of first-generation Haitian immigrants, McCalla’s music has always addressed topical themes of diaspora, biculturalism and the many economic inequalities built into our political structure.This thematic focus holds true for her latest album, 2019’s The Capitalist Blues. Both scorchingly political and wistfully personal, McCalla’s genre-spanning album marks her most ambitious effort to date.