The Tin Angel

Performer: Odetta
Distributor: Fantasy (distributor)

Notes: Recorded in 1953 & 1954. Though Odetta's commercial breakthrough came in the midst of the early-'60s collegiate folk revival, the singer/guitarist had been recording professionally for close to a decade before that. The recordings collected on THE TIN ANGEL were recorded in 1953 and 1954 by the short-lived duo of Odetta and Larry. It's rather obvious on first listen that the reason the duo of Odetta and Larry didn't last is that while Larry is a perfectly competent instrumentalist and has a fine tenor voice that complements Odetta's clear alto nicely, he seems superfluous. Odetta's voice and guitar are so deeply satisfying on their own that any other additions are unnecessary. Focusing almost entirely on folk standards like "John Henry" or "Old Cotton Fields at Home" and spirituals like the rousing "Wade in the Water, Children" and "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands," this is an excellent example of traditional '50s folk.

Taking inspiration from classic blues singers and folk troubadours of the 1930s and '40s and predating the folk boom of the '60s, Odetta remains one of the most important yet often overlooked artists of the American musical tradition. Her unique, politically charged fusion of blues, traditional Negro spirituals, and American folk songs was a profound influence on a generation of artists from Bob Dylan and Joan Baez to Tracy Chapman. Odetta continued to perform well after her heyday, remaining both fiercely political and artistically engaging.

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