In the '50s,
Harry Oster
made several recordings of African-American inmates at the penitentiary in Angola, Louisiana. These sessions are primarily remembered for the discovery of
Robert Pete Williams
, but
Oster
also found several other
acoustic blues
performers of merit. Several of them are featured on this 20-track, 80-minute CD (which includes three tracks by
Williams
). Although these singers had hard daily lives and went through hard times before they were jailed, this is hardly a downer record. It's largely first-class
with a relaxed (if sometimes sad) dignity. The lyrics are sometimes related to prison life, as in
' minor-keyed
"Prisoner's Talking Blues"
and
Guitar Welch
's
"Electric Chair Blues."
Yet much of the material is simply the usual songs of struggle and hope common to the
blues
, mixed in with some
a cappella
,
spiritual
-flavored cuts by female prisoners, and one male vocal group performance clearly derived from
doo wop
. Guitar
is the predominant style, though, and
country-blues
fans will find much to enjoy here, whether they're interested in the folklore aspect or not. Thirteen of the tracks on the CD version were previously unreleased. ~ Richie Unterberger