"Never-before released masters," proclaims a legend on the front cover of this LP, and when the much smaller print on the back cover reveals, "Released by agreement with Folkways Records," some explanation is offered for how it can be that an album of previously unreleased recordings by , who is contracted to , is being issued by , one of 's rivals. 's tenure at , which dates back to 1961, doesn't seem to have interfered with his work for the tiny independent label , which predates his association with the major record label; hasn't felt that continuing to pump out albums assembled from its vast archives constituted competition, given its limited distribution. Of course, having license material to is another matter entirely, and can't be pleased about it. What makes a viable candidate for such a release is his renewed prominence as of 1964. Arguably the godfather of the folk revival, his profile has been raised in recent years by 's , who charted with his song ; by the success of his song by ; by the controversy surrounding his exclusion from the network television series for his political background; and by the success of his album and its chart single With its generic title, , the album of 12 songs has gotten from emphasizes s ties to traditional folk and country music, starting with the opening track, his version of a song by the yodeling brakeman . Other songs, such as and also fit into the traditional country category, or would if didn't sing them without a trace of a Southern accent. Elsewhere, provides his takes on some folk songs that have been popularized by the likes of ( ) and ). He also takes on some of his well-known political concerns, addressing inflation on the plight of farmers in and conservation in Still, this is not a collection that comes off as primarily political; rather, it lives up to its name, presenting . ~ William Ruhlmann