Gary Dranow’s ‘Black Coal Lung’ is an amazing mixture of blues and rock which nerve-wracks its audience from the first note. The combination of Dranow’s hoarse narration and the song’s gritty texture form a powerful soundscape that is at the same time both classic and innovative. The arrangement is stirring, including a harmonica that is plucked discordantly, with the harmonica depthfully adding to the track’s serious subject matter.
Dranow’s voice, which is described as deep and scratchy, is the perfect tool for explaining the community’s hardships, so that ‘Black Coal Lung’ is not just a song, but a painful story about environmental justice. It goes without saying that this song should feature on the playlist of every music enthusiast; for its musical flair and emotional depth.
