Though they disbanded over a decade ago, Carolina Chocolate Drops remain an important touchstone in American old-time and roots music. The launching pad for multi-hyphenate Rhiannon Giddens—whose mile-long list of accolades includes not just a Pulitzer Prize but a MacArthur Genius Grant and a string of Grammys—the band found vital intersection points between the Americana music of the day and African American traditions. This reunion between Giddens and fellow former Chocolate Drop Justin Robinson picks up some of the conversational threads left at the band’s hiatus, while showcasing how both artists have evolved and expanded their perspectives in the intervening years. A mix of instrumental and vocal tunes, What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow was inspired in large part by Piedmont fiddler and Black string-band pioneer Joe Thompson, who mentored the Carolina Chocolate Drops until his passing in 2012. With Giddens on banjo and Robinson on fiddle, there is no shortage of virtuosity on display, though the pair favors the narrative and thematic needs of each song, particularly the traditional numbers, which were arranged by Thompson. Highlights include a rousing take on “John Henry,” which crackles with an electricity typically only heard in live performances (the pair recorded much of the LP live and outdoors), and “Marching Jaybird,” an Etta Baker tune the pair was able to record at the late Baker’s own home.