Congratulations to Rhiannon Giddens, whose new album, Freedom Highway, has been nominated for Album of the Year, top honors at the 2017 Americana Honors & Awards, announced earlier today by the Americana Music Association.

Freedom Highway, Giddens' follow-up to her highly praised solo debut album, Tomorrow Is My Turn, includes nine original songs she wrote or co-wrote, a traditional tune, and two civil rights–era songs. She co-produced the album with multi-instrumentalist Dirk Powell in his Louisiana studio, with the bulk of recording done in wooden rooms built prior to the Civil War, over an intense eight-day period. "Giddens emerges as a peerless and powerful voice in roots music," Pitchfork exclaims. It's a "rich collection," says NPR; "hope comes back to life in Giddens' music."

The Americana Honors & Awards show returns to the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, on September 13, 2017, during AmericanaFest, the Americana Music Festival and Conference, which runs September 12–17, 2016. It will once again be hosted by the iconic Jim Lauderdale, while Buddy Miller will lead the All-Star House Band. Tickets to the Honors & Awards show are only available with the purchase of an Americana Music Festival & Conference registration. To register, visit americanamusic.org.