A moderate disappointment, this LP showcases the very early, and somewhat tentative Odetta. A transfer of her first LP, this 16 song disc provides a look at someone who would become a truly great singer and guitarist, but has not yet achieved that. Many of these songs were recorded again later, with much more satisfying results. And the addition of Bill Lee on bass was inspired; on the familiar cuts, that missing bass is really missing.
It is not a total loss. No Odetta disc could ever be. I think she was the finest female singer of the folk movement, a voice that went right through the ears into the soul. And she does that on a few of these. 'Buked and Scorned is as touching a song as she ever recorded, and here, the treatment is perfect. A softer God's Gonna Cut You Down comes off as not weaker than her later, powerhouse, version but quite different, more fearful, less threatening. And the concluding trilogy is quite good.
But mostly I prefer the later versions of these songs, readily available on other compilations. Her live recording from The Tin Angel, from about the same time, is also more satisfying. A bargain price makes it more attractive, but it is certainly not essential. And hey guys, the print on this disc is dreadful. Huge spacing between very small tan letters on black background makes it very hard to read. And the font on the inside, also quite annoying. On a 12" disc it would be fine, but compressed to this size, it is ugly and hard to read.
40 years of listening to Odetta--can do better elsewhere
What a discovery!