Lead Belly Collection Is A Blast
“Lead Belly: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection“ is not only the first full career retrospective of one of the most significant musicians of the twentieth century. It’s also a blast. We have an image of Lead Belly as a somber bluesman, a stoic song collector who wore a perpetually solemn expression like that on the cover of the new 5xCD set. That was, of course, only one side of the musician, who memorized and personalized a vast array of American work songs, play songs, Tin Pan Alley hits, spirituals, blues, ballads, reels, hollers, jigs, calls, and more. He was as much a raconteur as he was a songster, and when he has a chance to tell you all about a song—where it came from, how he heard it, or how it fits into your everyday life—Lead Belly reveals the dynamism of a great storyteller.
