This Lusty Land! isn't very lusty, particularly if you're expecting rousing historical songs in the vein of "Ballad of Davy Crockett." The album places new and traditional songs in a subdued, jazzy setting in which Ford is accompanied by the orchestra from his '50s television show. The Delmore Brothers' "False Hearted Girl" sounds odd performed in this manner, but the stripped-down renditions of traditional and modern work songs like "John Henry," "Dark As a Dungeon," and "Nine Pound Hammer" are dramatic and appealing. Elsewhere, Ford's highbrow interpretations of old English ballads and early country songs seem condescending, or like an experiment that doesn't work. The album was nevertheless a strong seller, and Capitol kept it in print for many years.