June 30, 2016 by BOB BOILEN • At first, I was drawn in by Adia Victoria's languid guitar sound: In her hands, it practically has a drawl of its own. Then I heard her stories — never trite, often personal, always potent — which you can hear in the words that open her Tiny Desk concert. "I don't know nothing 'bout Southern belles," she sings in "Stuck In The South," adding, "but I can tell you something 'bout Southern hell." Adia Victoria's voice is powerful and direct, with no artifice; it carries the singular perspective of a Southern black woman with a Seventh Day Adventist upbringing, who never felt like she'd fit in. She recently put out her first album, Beyond The Bloodhounds, and two of the songs here ("Stuck In The South" and "And Then You Die") are from that record. It's a brilliant debut, though I highly recommend seeing her perform live for the full experience. Beyond The Bloodhounds is available now: iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/album/beyond-the-bloodhounds/id1086315033 Amazon: www.amazon.com/Beyond-Bloodhounds-Adia-Victoria/dp/B01C807M78 Set List: "Stuck In The South" "And Then You Die" "Heathen" Credits: Producers: Bob Boilen, Niki Walker; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Niki Walker, Maia Stern, CJ Riculan; Production Assistant: Marissa Lorusso ; Photo: Kara Frame/NPR. For more Tiny Desk concerts, subscribe to our podcast: www.npr.org/podcasts/510292/tiny-desk-concerts-video

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