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Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues

Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues
Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues CD cover.jpg
Studio album by Odetta
Released 1956 (original),
February 6, 1996,
February 1, 2005 (re-releases)
Recorded San Francisco, California,
September 1956
Genre Folk, blues, vocal, calypso
Length 45:14 (reissue)
Label Tradition
TLP 1010 (LP)
Rykodisc 1004 (1996 CD)
V.I. Music 450661 (2005 CD)
Producer Dean Gitter
Odetta chronology
The Tin Angel (Odetta & Larry)
(1954)
Sings Ballads and Blues
(1956)
At the Gate of Horn
(1957)
Original cover (1956)
The vinyl cover of Ballads and Blues
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 4.5/5 stars

Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues is the debut solo album by American folk singer Odetta, first released in 1956.

Like much of Odetta's early work, Ballads and Blues combines traditional songs (e.g. spirituals) with blues covers. Some songs on this album were also recorded for Odetta & Larry's 1954 album The Tin Angel.

The initial vinyl release has tracks 1-8 as side A, then tracks 9-16 as side B (the "Spiritual Trilogy" being counted as one track, a ). The "enhanced" CD version of this album, released in 2005, contains four bonus tracks and has a slightly different cover with a different photo of the singer. Some tracks are included on the Collectables re-release The Best of Odetta.

Bob Dylan singled this album out as one of his favorites by Odetta; indeed, it was albums like this that inspired him to play folk music instead of rock 'n' roll.


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