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Odetta
Looking for a Home
Release Date: 2001 08 28
Label: M.C.

Harry Belafonte once wrote of blues singer Odetta: "Few possess the fine understanding of a song's meaning which transforms it from a melody into a dramatic experience." Pete Seeger heard this collection and declared, "I've been waiting for this album for 50 years!" In continuing her tribute to the classics, Odetta turns her legendary vocal talents to the songs of Huddie Ledbetter, better known to blues history as "Leadbelly." Like Odetta herself, Leadbelly was far more than just a blues singer. His repertoire ranged from children's songs to folk ballads, protest songs to work songs, gospel to jazz. Odetta tackles a handful of his classics in her own distinctive style, with moods ranging from melancholy and emotional (the mandolin-enhanced, saloon-flavored "Mother's Blues") to spirited and humorous ("When I Was a Cowboy"). Many of these songs have great historical significance, from the old folk tune "In the Pines" (which features Seth Farber's stellar piano accompaniment) to the Jim Crow protest song "Bourgeois Blues" (given a lively, New Orleans-flavored treatment). Fans of Leadbelly's music will also enjoy the liner notes, which go into detail about the origins of each song. Jonathan Widran, All Music Guide

Tracks:

	Title	Composer	Time
1	Goodnight Irene	Leadbelly, Lomax	4:59
2	You Don't Know My Mind	Leadbelly	4:32
3	Mother's Blues (Little Children Blues)	Ledbetter	3:47
4	When I Was a Cowboy	Ledbetter	3:12
5	In the Pines	Ledbetter	4:04
6	How Long	Ledbetter	4:30
7	Bourgeois Blues	Ledbetter	4:33
8	Alabama Bound/Boll Weevil	Leadbelly, Traditional	7:21
9	Roberta	Lomax, Ledbetter	5:36
10	New Orleans	Ledbetter	4:43
11	Jim Crow Blues	Ledbetter	3:18
12	Rock Island Line	Leadbelly	3:02
13	Julie Anne Johnson/Whoa Black Buck	Ledbetter, Traditional	2:48
14	Easy Rider	Ledbetter	5:11
15	Midnight Special	Leadbelly	4:36