Blues Everywhere I Go

Performer: Odetta
Artist: Dr. John
Engineer: Fred Guarino
Producer: Mark Carpentieri; Seth Farber
Distributor: E1 Distribution (USA)

Notes: Personnel includes: Odetta (vocals); Dr. John (vocals, piano); Jimmy Vivino (guitar); Tom "Bones" Malone (tenor saxophone, trumpet); Seth Farber (piano); Mike Merritt, Paul Ossola (acoustic bass); Shawn Pelton, Larry Eagle, Richard Crooks (drums). Recorded at Tiki Studios, Glen Cove, New York in May-June 1999. Includes liner notes by Robert Gordon & Dr. Maya Angelou. BLUES EVERYWHERE I GO was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album. Just in time to commemorate her 50th anniversary in show business, Odetta released 1999's BLUES EVERYWHERE I GO, her first full-length album in 14 years. Solidly backed by members of Conan O'Brien's house band, the classically trained folk/blues legend chose to reach back beyond the Chicago blues era for material to interpret. Befitting her reputation as an activist/historian, Odetta's choices include songs addressing the plight of the poor ("Unemployment Blues," "Homeless Blues") and the dark side of FDR's New Deal (Big Bill Broonzy's "W.P.A. Blues"). Elsewhere, Odetta renders impeccable versions of material associated with blues pioneers of her gender including Sippie Wallace ("You Gotta Know How," "Trouble Everywhere"), Victoria Spivey ("TB Blues"), and Bessie Smith ("Rich Man Blues"). Special guest Dr. John provides an excellent foil for Odetta as he backs her on piano for "Oh Papa" and sings a rich-sounding duet with her on Percy Mayfield's "Please Send Me Someone to Love."

Q (6/00, p.112) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Magnificent...her earthy, soulful, sometimes snarling lyrics telling of hard times gone by, while sounding hopeful....Comebacks rarely get any better." Dirty Linen (4-5/00, p.51) - "...[Odetta's] rich, warm, full-bodied voice puts a unique stamp on every song....this CD is a fine effort and totally enjoyable from start to finish." Living Blues (1-2/00, pp.73-5) - "...this is a very good disc, and should be required listening for contemporary blues fans....it is worth checking out a singer who can deliver blues as if she was just talking in her own voice, direct, unforced, and instantly recognizable as no one but herself."

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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