Paul Robeson

This 44-track, two-disc British compilation provides no discographical information, beyond occasional accompaniment credits, to identify the Paul Robeson material it contains, but it clearly is drawn largely from Robeson's studio recordings in London for HMV Records in the late 1920s and throughout the 1930s (when the singer-actor was based in Britain), running up to a recording of "King Joe (Joe Louis Blues)" made in 1941 with the Count Basie Orchestra in New York for OKeh Records. Though most of these recordings were not released in the U.S. at the time, they constitute the singer's basic catalog, made during his prime and featuring the best performances of his repertoire of spirituals and standards, including "Swing Low Sweet Chariot," "Lazybones," "St. Louis Blues," "Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho," "Shenandoah," "It Ain't Necessarily So," and "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child," as well as the title song and the first recording of his signature song, "Ol' Man River," made in 1928 with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra for Victor. Pianists Lawrence Brown and Ruthland Clapham are heard on some of the selections, though orchestral backing, especially by Ray Noble's band, is more common. One might hope for a more complete and better documented collection of these recordings, but Robeson's essential recording history is contained here. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide