Odetta - My Eyes Have Seen '1959;2021

Tracks list

While it might be hard for a post-millennium roots fan to understand, Odetta
— in her heyday — was the kind of folk artist who drove purists
crazy. With her resonate vocals and her choice of material, she seemed like the
perfect link between older performers like Leadbelly and the folk movement of
the late 50s. At the same time, Odetta had studied music in college and had no
intention of being hemmed in by what a small group of white men thought about
tradition. Released in 1959, My Eyes Have Seen was the first album that revealed
her split nature. It starts simple enough, with a straight version of Poor
Little Jesus, and includes a number of other traditional songs like Down on Me
and The Foggy Dew. The trouble starts, however, on the second cut, with Bald
Headed Woman. Even though the song is sung a cappella, a scribe at Sing Out!
complained because of the heavy use of an echo chamber. This was nothing,
however, compared to the backup singers that accompany Odetta on Motherless
Children, Ox-Driver Song, and the title cut. Clearly, the sentinels of
authenticity noted, no traditional artist felt it was necessary to add choral
accompaniment to their material. At the same time, these renditions are
presented in a tasteful manner, and Odetta — even at her most
experimental — can hardly be compared to the Kingston Trio or the
Limeliters. My Eyes Have Seen is a nice portrait of a performer bucking
conformity as she stretches her artistic legs a bit. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.

Tracklist:
 01. Odetta - Poor Little Jesus (Remastered) (01:54)
 02. Odetta - Bald Headed Women (Remastered) (02:20)
 03. Odetta - Motherless Children (Remastered) (02:10)
 04. Odetta - I Know Where Im Going (Remastered) (02:00)
 05. Odetta - The Foggy Dew (Remastered) (05:28)
 06. Odetta - Water Boy (Remastered) (06:53)
 07. Odetta - Ox-Driver Song (Remastered) (02:34)
 08. Odetta - Down On Me (Remastered) (02:54)
 09. Odetta - Saro Jane (Remastered) (02:45)
 10. Odetta - Three Pigs (Remastered) (01:17)
 11. Odetta - No More Cane On The Brazos (Remastered) (03:38)
 12. Odetta - Jumpin Judy (Remastered) (02:26)
 13. Odetta - Battle Hymn Of The Republic (Remastered) (03:51)

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