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    • River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi

    River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi

    11/17/1998 | Smithsonian Folkways 

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    All Music Guide Review

    River of Song is a companion double-CD set to a four-part 1999 PBS television series of the various styles of music found along the Mississippi River, from northern Minnesota to the river's mouth in Louisiana. It has 36 complete performances that the documentary makers recorded as part of the project, encompassing Delta blues (Robert Lockwood, Jr.), Native American powwows, Cajun (D.L. Menard) and zydeco (Geno Delafose), New Orleans soul (Irma Thomas), rockabilly (Sonny Burgess), singer/songwriter folk (Greg Brown), bluegrass, gospel, polka, jazz, and less expected things like traditional Swedish, Laotian, and norteño music. There's even alternative rock, via Babes in Toyland (whose selection is frankly ill-fitting), Soul Asylum, and the Bottle Rockets. This might be better seen on film than heard all at once: it covers a full smorgasbord of American music in one go, and although in concept that might be appealing, remember that when you actually eat at smorgasbords, you don't try to sample every last damn dish in the course of one meal. The most unusual items are the Skal Club Spelmanslag's "Red-Headed Swede," with its eerie musical saw; Sonny Burgess' "T for Texas," on which he sounds far more like a genuine soul man than a cult rockabilly singer; and the Memphis Horns and Ann Peebles' "St. Louis Blues," done without a rhythm section. Little Milton, Henry Butler, Levon Helm, James Cotton, Fontella Bass, and John Hartford are some of the other recognizable names contributing to the album. If you're interested, the project also generated a book with the same title as the CD, written by Elijah Wald and John Junkerman, and published by St. Martin's Press. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

    River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi Track Listing

  • Track#
  • Title
  • Artist
  • time
  • lyrics
  • 1
  • Powwow Song
  • Chippewa Nation
  • 2:47
  • Sound Clip for Powwow Song from River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi


  • 2
  • 22
  • Babes In Toyland
  • 3:15
  • Sound Clip for 22 from River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi


  • 3
  • Sail Away Ladies
  • Koerner, "Spider" John
  • 3:26
  • Sound Clip for Sail Away Ladies from River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi


  • 4
  • I Did My Best
  • Soul Asylum
  • 3:54
  • Sound Clip for I Did My Best from River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi


  • 5
  • Red-Headed Swede
  • Skal Club Spelmanslag
  • 3:23
  • Sound Clip for Red-Headed Swede from River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi


  • 6
  • The Singing Leaf
  • Wang Chong Lor
  • 2:28
  • Sound Clip for The Singing Leaf from River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi


  • 7
  • I'll Open My Mouth to the Lord/I'll Be Ready
  • Sounds of Blackness
  • 1:56
  • Sound Clip for I'll Open My Mouth to the Lord/I'll Be Ready from River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi


  • 8
  • Kim Marie
  • Hartwich, Karl
  • 3:01
  • Sound Clip for Kim Marie from River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi


  • 9
  • Jazz Me Blues
  • Lopez, Manny
  • 4:28
  • Sound Clip for Jazz Me Blues from River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi


  • 10
  • La Unica Estrella
  • Unica Estrella
  • 5:26
  • Sound Clip for La Unica Estrella from River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi


  • 11
  • Flat Stuff
  • Brown, Greg [1]
  • 3:42
  • Sound Clip for Flat Stuff from River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi


  • 12
  • Miss Ferris
  • Hartford, John
  • 3:55
  • Sound Clip for Miss Ferris from River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi


  • 13
  • Born to Be with You
  • Lewis, Bob
  • 2:17
  • Sound Clip for Born to Be with You from River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi


  • 14
  • Milestone
  • Redmond, Eugene
  • 2:46
  • Sound Clip for Milestone from River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi


  • 15
  • I'm So Grateful
  • 4:20
  • Sound Clip for I'm So Grateful from River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi


  • 16
  • Stop Breaking Down
  • Sain, Oliver
  • 5:10
  • Sound Clip for Stop Breaking Down from River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi


  • 17
  • Get Down, River
  • Bottle Rockets
  • 3:02
  • Sound Clip for Get Down, River from River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi


  • 18
  • La Guignolée
  • Ste. Genevieve Guignolee Singers
  • 3:43
  • Sound Clip for La Guignolée from River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi


  • 19 (2)
  • The Sweetest Song I Know
  • Boundless Love Quartet
  • 2:30
  • Sound Clip for The Sweetest Song I Know from River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi


  • 20 (2)
  • T for Texas (Blue Yodel No. 1)
  • Burgess, Sonny [1]
  • 3:54
  • Sound Clip for T for Texas (Blue Yodel No. 1) from River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi


  • 21 (2)
  • St. Louis Blues
  • 5:49
  • Sound Clip for St. Louis Blues from River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi


  • 22 (2)
  • Going Back to Memphis
  • 4:41
  • Sound Clip for Going Back to Memphis from River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi


  • 23 (2)
  • Take a Little Walk with Me
  • Lockwood, Robert Jr.
  • 2:49
  • Sound Clip for Take a Little Walk with Me from River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi


  • 24 (2)
  • Catfish
  • Johnson, Big Jack
  • 2:41
  • Sound Clip for Catfish from River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi


  • 25 (2)
  • Shake Your Moneymaker
  • Johnson, Big Jack
  • 3:06
  • Sound Clip for Shake Your Moneymaker from River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi


  • 26 (2)
  • Grits Ain't Groceries
  • Little Milton
  • 4:19
  • Sound Clip for Grits Ain't Groceries from River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi


  • 27 (2)
  • We Praise Your Holy Name
  • Mississippi Mass Choir
  • 5:52
  • Sound Clip for We Praise Your Holy Name from River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi


  • 28 (2)
  • Taters and Gravy and Chicken-Fried Steak
  • Stinson, Kenny Bill
  • 2:52
  • Sound Clip for Taters and Gravy and Chicken-Fried Steak from River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi


  • 29 (2)
  • La Back Door (La Porte d'en Arrière)
  • Menard, D.L.
  • 3:49
  • Sound Clip for La Back Door (La Porte d'en Arrière) from River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi


  • 30 (2)
  • Bon Chien
  • Delafose, Geno
  • 2:48
  • Sound Clip for Bon Chien from River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi


  • 31 (2)
  • Marie Laveau
  • David & Roselyn
  • 3:28
  • Sound Clip for Marie Laveau from River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi


  • 32 (2)
  • Basin Street Blues
  • Butler, Henry [1]
  • 3:58
  • Sound Clip for Basin Street Blues from River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi


  • 33 (2)
  • Time Is on My Side
  • Thomas, Irma
  • 2:45
  • Sound Clip for Time Is on My Side from River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi


  • 34 (2)
  • Check Your Bucket
  • 4:39
  • Sound Clip for Check Your Bucket from River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi


  • 35 (2)
  • Let Your Mind Be Free
  • Soul Rebels
  • 2:55
  • Sound Clip for Let Your Mind Be Free from River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi


  • 36 (2)
  • La Vida de un Jaibero
  • Perez, Irvan
  • 2:49
  • Sound Clip for La Vida de un Jaibero from River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi


    • Credits of River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi

    • Oliver Sain
    • Arranger, Keyboards, Saxophone, Adaptation, Performer, Vocals


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