Search - Various Artists :: Her Bright Smile Haunts Me Still (Warner Collection, Vol. 1)

Field recordings are an interesting concept: they are historical documents intended to preserve the folklore of their indigenous regions, but they can also be enjoyed as songs to be heard. If they are too polished or "professional" sounding, they may lose their archaic, authentic charm. On the other hand, who wants to hear amateur singers if they can't carry a tune, much less do so with any kind of emotional power? What makes this collection so rewarding is the precarious balance it finds. Amateur musicologists Anne and Frank Warner collected these field recordings across the Atlantic Coast states from 1940 through 1966. There are English, Scottish, and Irish folk songs, blues, spirituals, ballads, work songs, and chants of all types included--none of them intended for commercial release and all of them featuring singers to whom music was a family tradition or a community event or perhaps even an innate power. Many of these songs have become well known since they were recorded--some, such as "Tom Dooley," were basically discovered through the Warners' field work--but it's the lesser-known numbers that really hit home: "shudder stories" sung to scare young children, comic minstrel songs, sea chanteys, and more. The snippets of conversations prove that the Warners respected these people greatly and reveled in their genuineness. For fans of Alan Lomax's fieldwork, this set will be a treasured discovery. --Marc Greilsamer