Debut solo album by Allison Russell

Outside Child, Allison Russell’s extraordinary debut album is “about resilience, survival, transcendence, the redemptive power of art, community, connection, and chosen family.” It is also about a journey out of an abusive background and of breaking the cycle of abuse. Her first solo album, released just this month, rises above the confessional to the spiritual. It is full of emotional intelligence and raw power. Her voice is plaintive, haunting, and heartrending. The song Nightflyer from the album is a perfect example. She is appearing tonight at the Grand Old Opry in Nashville; I wish I could be there. She has performed with Our Native Daughters, a group of banjo-playing Black women at the invitation of Rhiannon Giddens. I give you Allison Russell.