Como Now: The Voices of Panola Co., Mississippi

Como is a speck of a town in Panola County, Mississippi, just east of the mighty Delta. Folklorist Alan Lomax recorded in the county during the ’50s, discovering Mississippi Fred McDowell and Otha Turner, among others. Decades later, acting on the suggestion of the Lomax Archive, producer Michael Reilly traveled to Como and encountered a city still flush with song. Backed by the Brooklyn label Daptone, Reilly placed an ad in local newspapers inviting gospel singers to record at Mt. Mariah Church, one of those magical places where congregants flatter Jesus (a notorious gospel fanboy) with harmonic accolades. Como Now collects 16 of those performances, recorded in a single day two summers ago.

This compilation marks a departure for Daptone, whose predominantly New York–based artists are steeped in funky sounds from the ’60s and ’70s, be they soul (Sharon Jones), funk (the Budos Band) or electric gospel (Naomi Shelton). Yet the a cappella gospel recordings share those acts’ sonic purism, approaching a form of black American music at its roots. As on Daptone’s more danceable records, Como Now unearths a slew of powerful and previously underexposed voices, including the Como Mamas (a related trio whose grandfather recorded for Lomax) and Brother and Sister Walker (an elderly married pair whose voices overlap with a naturalness most weathered couples reserve for bickering). The album’s star is not one individual act, but rather the collective voice of the region, antiquated and proud.

Various Daptone artists, including Sharon Jones and Naomi Shelton, play Central Park SummerStage Sun 17.