 Lead Belly So, is Lead Belly all that he's cracked up to be? Yes indeed. So much has been written about Lead Belly and Woody Guthrie being "influences" on rock, I would like to take this opportunity to say: shut the hell up. Anyone with half an ear can hear that rock is, in fact, the most derivative style of music there is. People should stop listening to artists like Lead Belly (and Willie Dixon, and Bessie Smith, and Hank Williams) in terms of where their music ended up. I mean, I love CCR's version of "Cotton Fields" as much as the next honkie, but can't we start approaching albums as unique entities unto themselves? The baggage of rock can not be that overwhelming or interesting. I want everyone to walk into a record store each time as if they are not a big know-it-all. You are given the opportunity to receive a fresh experience of music every time you pick up an album, why would you want to cloud it up with what you think you know? So wake up, wake up, listen to the folk music. Lead Belly is a great folk blues singer, and you must hear him. The songs on this CD (the first in a multi-volume Smithsonian series of Lead Belly's recordings with Moses Asch in the '40s) are very recognizable: "Irene," "Pick a Bale of Cotton," "In The Pines," "Cotton Fields," and on. Many are lesser known, meaning not soiled by the fecal fingers of a Nirvana or Kingston Trio. The performances are all good, somewhat loose, and augmented in places by piano and additional musicians. Lead Belly's (or "Mr. Belly's") earlier recordings with John and Alan Lomax may be preferable for their rawness, but this CD is an excellent starting point for getting into Lead Belly or folk music in general. Very soulful, spirited music. Recommended for anyone with half an ear or more. People with less than half an ear are directed toward Lead Belly: The Louder Recordings.
Review by Stompin' Shitmouth |