Album Review: D'orjay The Singing Shaman, New Kind of Outlaw

There’s a “New Kind of Outlaw'“ emerging onto the country music scene that has me wildly excited. D’orjay the Singing Shaman presents us with a stunning debut album that is powerful, passionate and pushes the boundaries of the genre.

As a Black, Queer woman (and an actual Shaman) from small-town Alberta, D’orjay has been committed to bringing diversity and inclusivity to the country music scene, which is made crystal clear throughout the title track. The album opens with the sound of a classic country anthem -- heavy guitars, banjo’s and D’orjay singing the stand-out melody with defiant fearlessness. Throughout, the song asks, “I love country music/But will country music love me?”, questioning who IS the outlaw right now in country music -- the white cis males who make up 70 percent of country music charts? Or the woman with the “black queer flow” bringing us a vibrant POV that goes far beyond the typical perspective we are force-fed from the music industry today? I’d say the latter. A powerful moment in the song to prove this is when she lyrically welcomes a “target on her back” for “reminding you all that country music is black” -- a FIRE way to open a debut album!

Other standouts on the album include a beautiful ode to her grandmother “Grandma Luvy’s House” with sincere lyricism and vocals that bring up loving memories of my own grandmother. The piano and steel guitar-driven “Float On (I Choose Me)” had me hooked from the very first a capella notes sung with that powerful tone she possesses. A personal favourite is the closing song, her version of the Wallflowers, “One Headlight”, which gives the original an updated bluegrass eclectic compelling performance -- a perfect way to end the musical journey D’orjay has taken us on.

There are some really cool and exciting things happening right now in this genre of music that should be garnering more attention from the major country scene. We shouldn’t have to dig to find black artists like Willie Jones, Yola, The War and Treaty, and Amethyst Kiah among many others who continue to influence and reshape the sounds of modern country music.

 D’orjay joins this stellar list of country artists who should be leading the music charts and radio play, solidifying her place in country music history with ‘New Kind Of Outlaw’. I personally cannot wait to see what else D’orjay the Singing Shaman brings us in the future and I think there is only one question left unanswered and that is, “country music whatcha gonna do?”. 

New Kind of Outlaw was released November 25, 2020.
Listen to it here.