Levi Gibbs sets out the core argument of this book in the introduction: by analysing the life and performances of Wang Xiangrong (b.1952), dubbed the “Folk Song King of Western China,” he seeks to investigate “how itinerant performers present audiences with traditional, modern, rural, and urban ‘selves’ and ‘Others’ among whom to continually redefine themselves in an evolving world” (p. 2). The book is organized into seven main chapters, each focusing on different aspects of this topic; interwoven throughout is Wang Xiangrong's life history as a village folk singer from northern Shaanxi province who rose to regional and then national prominence from the late 1970s on, and still maintains a high profile.

Gibbs's research methods are multi-faceted. There is a strong fieldwork component: in 2006, 2010 and over 2011–2012 Gibbs documented dozens of performances in different settings by Wang Xiangrong and interviewed Wang and others (p. 4). Particularly important as a research method is the author's analysis of the lyrics of numerous folk songs, which necessitates meticulous translation into English of many passages with specialized local references and dialectal expressions. To set Wang's story in its historical and contemporary context, Gibbs references a wide variety of Chinese- and English-language primary and secondary sources, in particular local folk song anthologies, folk song scholarship, literature on folklore, publications in Chinese studies, newspaper articles and online sources.

The resulting book offers valuable documentation of a striking contemporary Chinese cultural phenomenon, as increasing numbers of village-born folk singers transition to professional singing careers through success in local, regional and national competitions, many publicized via television and social media. Gibbs sets Wang Xiangrong's career against this broader context, with a useful table showing the career trajectories of 12 other well-known folk singers, many of whom, like Wang, followed the contest/gala route to fame (pp. 32–33). Diachronic context is provided through examination of legends of mythical “itinerant singer-heroes,” stories of an older generation of star singers winning competitions and meeting national leaders in the 1950s, and the role of “song kings” (gewang) in China's recent embrace of intangible cultural heritage protection. Wang Xiangrong, for example, was anointed a national-level “representative transmitter” of the northern Shaanxi folk song tradition in 2009, further cementing his reputation (pp. 25–36). Gibbs expands his comparative reach to singers from other countries who have negotiated the rural-to-urban route to fame, such as Egypt's Umm Kulthūm and the US's Leadbelly; he observes that, like Wang Xiangrong, “many of these singers live[d] during transitional times,” with their songs becoming “discursive sites for social tensions … as the world changes” (p. 212).

Several themes are explored to show Wang as an exemplar of such singers. Gibbs outlines the localized genres Wang learned in his home village (chapter two) and notes how he quickly adapted his repertoire on joining the Yulin Folk Arts Troupe, whose mission is to represent the entire northern Shaanxi region (chapter three). A particularly fine chapter (chapter five) lays out the tensions involved in “mediating the rural and urban,” analysing the ability of successful singers to gauge their audiences. Here Gibbs's extensive interviews with Wang are used to excellent effect. For example, Wang expresses a keen sensitivity as to how far erotic content can be implied in a public setting with a mixed urban and rural audience, noting that if one gets it right, then “the song becomes a traditional, classic folk song,” but if not, it becomes “dregs, it becomes ‘sour’” (p. 170). The travails of earlier folk song collectors are explored in fascinating detail through interviews with two women active in Shaanxi in the 1950s, as they had to convince both government officials and village singers that local folk songs had value, and to decide what to do with “pornographic,” “superstitious,” “culturally backward” and other “bad” songs (p. 164). There are excellent discussions of evaluative adjectives such as these, and of the phrases “authentic” (didao) and “original pure flavour” (yuanzhi yuanwei), which Wang deploys in interactions with different audiences (pp. 182–87). Gibbs's analyses of different versions of selected songs show clearly how songs are adapted for different purposes – for instance, taking out highly local or risqué elements and inserting references to iconic topography, such as the Yellow River, to create a dignified song representing the larger northern Shaanxi region for TV audiences (pp. 114–20).

This book's many strengths include the author's familiarity with Wang Xiangrong, his knowledge of folk song scholarship, and his admirable care over translation of song lyrics. His points about the constant redefinition of self, other, and place by folk singers and audiences in today's Chinese context are well made. Sometimes one wishes to hear more from other participants in Wang's story – for example, his official disciples, to learn how he fulfills his mandate as a national-level “representative transmitter” to pass on his tradition, an important topic touched upon only briefly. In places we find quite detailed description of musical aspects of songs (e.g. pp. 132–37), but, as is normal in more folklore-oriented treatments of folk song, commentary on technical musical features is mostly somewhat cursory. Wang's landmark 2006 CD is referenced in text with track numbers given; it would have been ideal to have it bundled with the book, but as of July 2018 the tracks are available as MP3s on Amazon, and readers should definitely download them. Numerous evocative photographs show landscapes and performances, but the black and white reproductions are not always clear.

Overall, Song King provides a fascinating window for China specialists onto a major contemporary popular culture phenomenon, and is especially well grounded in folk song and folklore scholarship. The audience is likely to be specialists from these fields, along with ethnomusicologists. The book could be hard-going for undergraduates, but would certainly be a valuable addition to many postgraduate reading lists.