On her third album and her first with a producer, the New Orleans singer and songwriter and former Carolina Chocolate Drops member processes the current political environment with gnashing teeth and a raised fist. These protest songs weave through McCalla’s Haitian heritage, the various jazz and folk sounds of her adopted city and her belief in music’s power to effect change. Highlights include a Sam Cooke-like soul take on lead poisoning in the water (“Heavy As Lead”); the 1% (“Money Is King”); and finding love after the newlywed sheen dulls (“Me And My Baby”).

Contact: Natalie Maher