Amazon.comFrom 1950 to '58, Paul Robeson was prevented by the U.S. State Department from traveling outside the country. The restriction extended to Canada, where passports aren't normally required of American citizens. Robeson gave four concerts during those years at the Peace Arch Park near Blaine, Washington, at the Canadian border. This CD presents the 1952 and '53 concerts at which Robeson (accompanied by solo pianists Lawrence Brown and Alan Booth) sang across the international boundary from the back of a flatbed truck. In addition to brief speeches by Robeson and union leader Harvey Murphy, the great singer/political activist mixes traditional fare, spirituals, and "Ol' Man River" with broadsides such as "Joe Hill" and the Chinese marching song "Chin Chin." The sound quality is imperfect but listenable, the occasion is historic, and Robeson is great. --Stanley Booth