Guthrie had a history of borrowing from traditional folk songs, adding his own timely political and social commentary to the timeless melodies. Here, the folk pioneer mixes in age-old traditional songs with some of his own original work, getting assistance along the way from folk and blues legends Leadbelly, Sonny Terry, and Cisco Houston. Houston contributes potent harmony vocals on "What Did the Deep Sea Say?" and "John Henry." "Rising Sun Blues" became better known as the oft-covered "House of the Rising Sun." "Brown Eyes," a poignant memory of lost love, benefits from Houston's delicate mandolin. The endearing "Springfield Mountain" has the feel of a children's song while "Oregon Trail" features Guthrie's own harmonica accompaniment. He plays fiddle on the instrumental "Nine Hundred Miles" and picks on the simple eight-bar "Guitar Blues."
Some of Guthrie's best-loved compositions appear as well, many of which are variations on older songs. Terry blows a mean harp in support of "Hard Travelin'" while "Will You Miss Me?," the song of a man coming to grips with his own mortality, features haunting three-part harmonies from Guthrie, Houston (baritone), and Bess Hawes (alto). On the wonderful "Jackhammer John," Guthrie simultaneously celebrates and laments his fate. This is typical Guthrie, in that his enormous self-pride mitigates his unfortunate lot in life. He compares the Okie farmer to a soldier on "My Dirty Overalls" ("We are workers and fighters all, my uniform's my dirty overalls"). The highlight of this release, however, is "We Shall Be Free," a song credited to Leadbelly. Terry's harp wanders throughout as Leadbelly adds his own shouts and howls to this humorous and joyous celebration. Any fan of Bob Dylan will surely recognize the melody: Dylan penned his own off-beat lyrics for his Freewheelin' album. Folk music as we know it would not exist without Guthrie's legacy.
If you like Woody Guthrie, check out:
Bob Dylan The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan Highway 61 Revisited
Cisco Houston Sings Songs of the Open Road
Leadbelly Leadbelly Sings Folk Songs
-- Marc Greilsamer
