CD REVIEW
From a review on Amazon.com in 2006
The Essential Odetta. Odetta, Vanguard Records, 1973
I have been listening to and occasionally attending concerts by Odetta for over forty years and she still brings that big strong voice to her work as she did when I first heard her. A big strong strumming guitar adds to the pleasure. She is the consummate female interpreter of the old ballads that denoted the struggle of blacks and other at work and play in slavery times and later in wage slavery times. Religious sentiments about a better life in the hereafter because this life so is hell are also interwoven into some these ballads. It is hard today to get the full impact of that genre but I have noticed that audiences still response to her gentle prodding to sing along. If you have one Odetta album to get this is the one. Some children-oriented ballads, also sing-along-able add to the flavor of this album. Standouts here are "If I Had A Hammer" and "Long Chains On".
December 3, 2008- Honor the memory of a big, big voice in support of the black liberation struggle. Odetta, 1930-2008.
December 7, 2008
When The Blues Is Dues
Lookin For A Home-Thanks To Leadbelly, Odetta, M.C. Records, 2001
I have been listening to and occasionally attending concerts by the recently departed Odetta for over forty years and she, despite her various illnesses in her latter years was still able to bring that big strong voice to her work as she did when I first heard her. A big strong strumming guitar added to the pleasure. And on this album some helpful and thoughtful backup work by her band members. Odetta was the consummate female interpreter of the old ballads that denoted the struggle of blacks and other at work and play in slavery times and later in wage slavery times. Religious sentiments about a better life in the hereafter because this life so is hell are also interwoven into some these ballads. It is hard today to get the full impact of that genre but I always noticed that audiences still responded to her gentle prodding to sing along.
There is an old expression-“What goes around, comes around”. Nothing profound in that but it does point out that Odetta was very aware of her roots, of her debts to earlier black singers and influences and of the need to pay back those debts. The last part of here career included efforts in that direction, a prime example being this cover tribute to the legendary country blues singer and performer Leadbelly. On the face of it the storied 'rough and ready' life of an old time rural country singer caught up in a violent and unforgiving world that included a southern prison and the rather proper upbringing of a modern city-bred and educated woman would not seem a match that makes musical sense. However, go back to the beginning of this paragraph and the part about roots and debts. That, my friends is the link, the eternal binding.
That said, Odetta does not try, like many an urban folkie of the 1960’s and others, to imitate Leadbelly’s style, manner and mistakes but hones her own renditions and gives them her own interpretation. That is the true way to honor one’s forbears. Thus, although not every song here makes you want to throw away your old Leadbelly albums there are many more hits than misses. The hits- a very upbeat, carib-influenced rendition of the Leadbelly theme song, “Goodnight, Irene”; a very political take (highlighting Jim Crow racism) on “Bourgeois Blues” and “Easy Rider” (also known as “C.C. Rider”). The misses- “Midnight Special”; “How Long” and “Rock Island Line”. Overall though, a nice tribune from one legendary singer to another.
From a review on Amazon.com in 2006
The Essential Odetta. Odetta, Vanguard Records, 1973
I have been listening to and occasionally attending concerts by Odetta for over forty years and she still brings that big strong voice to her work as she did when I first heard her. A big strong strumming guitar adds to the pleasure. She is the consummate female interpreter of the old ballads that denoted the struggle of blacks and other at work and play in slavery times and later in wage slavery times. Religious sentiments about a better life in the hereafter because this life so is hell are also interwoven into some these ballads. It is hard today to get the full impact of that genre but I have noticed that audiences still response to her gentle prodding to sing along. If you have one Odetta album to get this is the one. Some children-oriented ballads, also sing-along-able add to the flavor of this album. Standouts here are "If I Had A Hammer" and "Long Chains On".
December 3, 2008- Honor the memory of a big, big voice in support of the black liberation struggle. Odetta, 1930-2008.
December 7, 2008
When The Blues Is Dues
Lookin For A Home-Thanks To Leadbelly, Odetta, M.C. Records, 2001
I have been listening to and occasionally attending concerts by the recently departed Odetta for over forty years and she, despite her various illnesses in her latter years was still able to bring that big strong voice to her work as she did when I first heard her. A big strong strumming guitar added to the pleasure. And on this album some helpful and thoughtful backup work by her band members. Odetta was the consummate female interpreter of the old ballads that denoted the struggle of blacks and other at work and play in slavery times and later in wage slavery times. Religious sentiments about a better life in the hereafter because this life so is hell are also interwoven into some these ballads. It is hard today to get the full impact of that genre but I always noticed that audiences still responded to her gentle prodding to sing along.
There is an old expression-“What goes around, comes around”. Nothing profound in that but it does point out that Odetta was very aware of her roots, of her debts to earlier black singers and influences and of the need to pay back those debts. The last part of here career included efforts in that direction, a prime example being this cover tribute to the legendary country blues singer and performer Leadbelly. On the face of it the storied 'rough and ready' life of an old time rural country singer caught up in a violent and unforgiving world that included a southern prison and the rather proper upbringing of a modern city-bred and educated woman would not seem a match that makes musical sense. However, go back to the beginning of this paragraph and the part about roots and debts. That, my friends is the link, the eternal binding.
That said, Odetta does not try, like many an urban folkie of the 1960’s and others, to imitate Leadbelly’s style, manner and mistakes but hones her own renditions and gives them her own interpretation. That is the true way to honor one’s forbears. Thus, although not every song here makes you want to throw away your old Leadbelly albums there are many more hits than misses. The hits- a very upbeat, carib-influenced rendition of the Leadbelly theme song, “Goodnight, Irene”; a very political take (highlighting Jim Crow racism) on “Bourgeois Blues” and “Easy Rider” (also known as “C.C. Rider”). The misses- “Midnight Special”; “How Long” and “Rock Island Line”. Overall though, a nice tribune from one legendary singer to another.
Here is a review of Odetta's excellent cover of early Bob Dylan material from 1965- "Odetta Sings Dylan". Nice.
ReplyDeleteI have been listening to and occasionally attending concerts by the recently departed Odetta for over forty years and she, despite her various illnesses in her latter years, was still able to bring that big strong voice to her work as she did when I first heard her. A big strong strumming guitar added to the pleasure. Odetta was the consummate female interpreter of the old ballads that denoted the struggle of blacks and other at work and play in slavery times and later in wage slavery times. Religious sentiments about a better life in the hereafter because this life so is hell are also interwoven into some these ballads. It is hard today to get the full impact of that genre but I always noticed that audiences still responded to her gentle prodding to sing along.
There is an old expression-“What goes around, comes around”. Nothing profound in that but it does point out that Odetta was very aware of her roots, of her debts to earlier folk singers and the influences of her then contemporary artists in the folk revival of the 1960’s. On this CD she puts that fantastic contralto voice to work early on singing the songs of a man slated to be a folk legend in the field. There have been many stories since come to light about singers “stealing” material from each other during those 1960’s times. There is no theft here. Odetta stands on here own with her interpretation of this material.
That said, Odetta does not try, like many an urban folkie of the 1960’s and others to imitate, Dylan's, manner and mistakes a point that I made in another review in reference to her tribute to an early blues singer, Leadbelly, but hones here own renditions and gives them her own interpretation. That is the true way to honor one’s fellow musicians. So what is good here? “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right”, “Tomorrow Is Such A Long Time” and, of course, a powerful rendition of the anti-war anthem “Masters Of War”. But really, this one time when the entire album is good, a time when a legendary songwriter and a legendary singer meld together