Formed two years ago in North Carolina, three young African-American players known as the Carolina Chocolate Drops are rapidly growing into a phenomenon on the American blues and old-time circuit.

Armed with banjos, fiddles, guitars, jugs, kazoos, spoons and various other percussive 'instruments,' Carolina Chocolate Drops revisit the jug-band and Black string-band music of the twenties and thirties with the zest of the most energetic hip-hoppers and the acumen of old-time music pioneers.

Although they remain faithful to the tradition, they have an atypical way of articulating their own artistic feelings. Their 2008 European release Heritage is a compilation of tracks from their successful 2007 album Dona Got A Ramblin' Mind, and some of their earlier material .

Heritage is an excellent starting point for anyone wanting to become acquainted with one of the hottest outfits around.

• Another man done gone
• Wayward gal
• Don't get trouble in your mind
• Black eyes blues
• Georgie buck
• Earl king
• Jack O'diamonds
• Short life of trouble
• Po'Lazarus
• Rickett's hornpipe
• Cornbread and butter beans
• Bye-bye policeman
• Real old mountain dew
• Sittin' on top of the world
• Banjo dreams / Jalidong
• Gambia