Very early work from Odetta – much more bluesy than some of her later work – both in the setting, and in the way that she inflects her lyrics! In a way, there's more of a folk/blues link here than you'll find in some of Odetta's music of the 60s – a combination of modes that almost puts her in the Josh White camp. The instrumentation is quite spare – mostly just guitar and vocals from Odetta, with extra vocals and banjo from Larry Mohr – on titles that include "Water Boy", "Old Cotton Fields", "The Frozen Logger", "The Car Car Song", and "Pay Day At Coal Creek". CD features 6 more bonus tracks, too – all previously unissued recordings! CD

A nicely rootsy set – one that mixes vintage work with new material done in a similar mode – all at a level that criss-crosses between rural blues, trad jazz, and a range of other older styles! The package is maybe less a full compendium of the roots of black music than it is a set that does a good job of changing artists while keeping an eye on a thematic sense of expression – beginning with actual roots, then using roots revival and contemporary material to echo a unified aesthetic! The package has track by track notes, and essays on the music – and the 40 track set features work from Cedric Burnside, Corey Harris & Sharde Thomas, Ranky Tanky, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Lightnin Hopkins, Staple Singers, Bennie Richardson, Golden Eagles, Martin Bogan & Armstrong, Bessie Jones, Skip James, Cephas & Wiggins, Inmate Named Peter, Rev Gary Davis, John Jackson, Odetta, Mississippi John Hurt, Professor Longhair, Campbell Brothers, Dom Flemons, Tuts Washington, and others. CD

Includes tracks by Joan Baez, The Weavers, Cisco Houston, Odetta, Judy Collins, The Kingston Trio, Mimi & Richard Farina, Tom Paxton, Patrick Sky, Ian & Sylvia, John Hammond, Skip James, and Dave Van Ronk. CD