Although this delightfully varied collection is themed around old folk and blues sides that either heavily influenced or were covered by rock artists like
Bob Dylan,
Led Zeppelin,
Nick Cave,
Bruce Springsteen, and many others, it works all on its own, too, as a wonderful and quick spin through the murder and mayhem, rascals and rebels side of American music, starting with old blues 78s from the 1920s and '30s from the likes of Robert Johnson,
Leroy Carr, and
Blind Willie McTell (his majestic "Dying Crapshooter's Blues" is here), old folk releases from the same time period from
the Carter Family,
Dock Boggs (including his harrowing murder and banjo ballad "Pretty Polly"), and running through to songs by
Leadbelly and
Woody Guthrie from the '40s and early '50s (as well as a song from the same time period, often called "Babylon," featuring the odd, ornate vocal affectations of
John Jacob Niles) to the proto-'60s surf R&B sound of "Cast Iron Arm" by Peanuts Wilson. These songs and performances influenced later artists for a reason: what's old (and good) is new again in the 21st century, and these songs are simply timeless. ~ Steve Leggett