At Town Hall

by Richie UnterbergerThis is similar to a prior concert album that Odetta made for Vanguard in the early '60s, At Carnegie Hall; both sets even have the same accompanist (Bill Lee, on bass). The repertoire is entirely different on each, however. At Town Hall has somewhat lesser-known tunes than the ones on Carnegie Hall, although "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands," "Take This Hammer," and "Another Man Done Gone" should certainly be familiar to many. The album is also available in its entirety, paired with the Carnegie Hall recording, on Vanguard's double-LP Essential Odetta, although the CD version of that release omits a few songs from each disc.