Cisco Houston - Sings The Songs Of Woody Guthrie (1963)

Cisco Houston is sometimes more remembered for his association with Woody Guthrie than for his gift as a folksinger. His smooth, deep baritone was interpreted by many folk purists as "commercial," thus inauthentic, and unlike Guthrie, he preferred interpreting other writer's songs as opposed to writing his own.

Released two years after Houston's death, "Cisco Houston Sings the Songs of Woody Guthrie" finds the singer once again stepping out of the limelight to pay deference to his famous friend. The surprising thing to anyone unfamiliar with traditional folk music, however, is how enjoyable and accessible this collection is. Indeed, Houston's vocals on classics like "Deportees" and "Buffalo Skinners" are much more pleasing musically than Guthrie's dry, Oklahoma rasp. If one compares Houston's take on "Pastures of Plenty" with Guthrie's version on "The Asch Recordings", for instance, Houston's version comes across as more inspired and more respectful of the lyrics. While this comparison would not hold true on Houston's versions of "Pretty Boy Floyd" and "Do Re Me," his interpretations are more than proficient. Perhaps the best way to understand his contributions to folk music is to understand him as a prophet of sorts, a John the Baptist spreading the word about another great folksinger who - because of Huntington's chorea - could no longer sing his own songs.

"Cisco Houston Sings the Songs of Woody Guthrie" is a lovely tribute to a friend by someone who understood the significance of his music.

Review by Bill Adams:
"What can I say? If you love Cisco, you must own this. If you like Woody, you must own this. If you enjoy folk music, you must own this. One can quibble as to whether some of these performances were "over-produced" or not, but the bottom line is that Cisco is in fine voice, his guitar rings out true, the songs are some of Woody's best, Cisco was in on the creation (uncredited) of several of them. Some people just can't warm up to Woody's own voice and pickin', and for them, these versions by Cisco were essential to forming an appreciation of Woody's genius."


Tracklist:

(THIS LAND)
Pastures Of Plenty
(My daddy flies a) Ship in the Sky
Deportees (Plural, not singular)
Grand Coulee Dam
Sinking of the Reuben James

(CURLEY HEADED BABIES)
Curly Headed Baby
Ladies Auxiliary
Taking It Easy
Hard, Ain't It Hard

(BIG MEN)
Jesus Christ
Buffalo Skinners
Pretty Boy Floyd
Philadelphia Lawyer

(LONE WOLVES)
Old Lone Wolf
Talking Fishing Blues
Ranger's Command
Do Re Mi
Blowing Down That Old Dusty Road

Cisco Houston - Sings The Songs Of Woody Guthrie (1963)
(224 kbps, cover included)