A Man and His Beliefs

• Artist: Paul Robeson
• Rating:
• Release Date: January 01, 2001
• Type: Compilation (best of)
• Genre: Vocal Music

Review

Legacy International (not to be confused with Sony's reissue label, Legacy) licensed 16 of Paul Robeson's 1930s EMI recordings for this disc, which features folk songs, vintage popular tunes such as Stephen Foster's "Old Folks At Home," and adaptations of spirituals, such as Turner Layton and Henry Creamer's "Dear Old Southland," based on "Deep River." (Despite the suggestive album title, there is no political material.) Robeson is given a supportive orchestral accompaniment, and his sonorous voice is as impressive as usual. The unimproved CD sound is only fair, with a scratchy, hissy background, and the album's sparse annotations -- no recording dates, no songwriter credits -- mark this as a low-budget effort. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Mammy		Paul Robeson	(3:46)
Nothin'		Paul Robeson	(2:20)
The Blind Ploughman	Coningsby Clarke	Paul Robeson	(2:05)
Snowball	Hoagy Carmichael	Paul Robeson	(3:16)
Old Folks at Home	Stephen Foster	Paul Robeson	(3:18)
Poor Old Joe (Old Black Joe)		Paul Robeson	(3:06)
Lonesome Road	Gene Austin, Nat Shilkret	Paul Robeson	(2:43)
Dear Old Southland	Turner Layton, Henry Creamer	Paul Robeson	(2:54)
Sleepy Time Down South	Clarence Muse, Leon René, Otis Rene	Paul Robeson	(3:24)
Loch Lomand		Paul Robeson	(2:38)
Roll Away Clouds	Fats Waller	Paul Robeson	(3:11)
Ho Ho (Wagon Song)		Paul Robeson	(2:10)
Just Keepin' On	A. Phillips, Desmond Carter	Paul Robeson	(3:08)
Climbing Up	Mischa Spoliansky	Paul Robeson	(3:10)
Down de Lover's Lane		Paul Robeson	(3:01)
All Through the Night	Cole Porter, Traditional	Paul Robeson	(3:17)