Odetta – Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues
Album
Armed only with her powerhouse voice and an acoustic guitar she nicknamed Baby, Odetta recorded this 1956 debut and instantly transformed the American folk revival. Her commanding contralto sweeps through spirituals, field hollers and chain-gang work songs like Santy Anno and Easy Rider with breathtaking moral weight and dynamic control. Hearing her sheer resonance and percussive flatpicking explains immediately why this record stunned a young Bob Dylan into trading his electric guitar for acoustic folk.