After flirting with traditional African-American material in his previous albums, Belafonte, for the first time, devotes an entire album to the blues.
However, of the eleven songs, only two could be classified as traditional blues: "In the Evenin' Mama" and "Cotton Fields," the latter given a five minute treatment.
Belafonte would take this song on the road as part of his live act for the next decade.
Of the other songs, three were covers of Ray Charles standards ("A Fool For You," "Hallelujah I Love Her So," "Mary Ann").
Another highlight is Belafonte's rendition of Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child." With few exceptions, the entire album is understated and not as exciting or riveting as other Belafonte records.
Still, it's solid listening, and taken track by track, thoughtful performances.
Footnote: this was the first Belafonte album recorded in stereo.
Some releases feature a thick, dark blue spine.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Fool For YouRay Charles | Harry Belafonte | Play | 03:40 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 2 | Losing HandCharles Calhoun | Harry Belafonte | Play | 04:19 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 3 | Hallelujah I Love Her SoRay Charles | Harry Belafonte | Play | 02:55 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 4 | The Way That I FeelFred Brooks | Harry Belafonte | Play | 04:32 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 5 | Cotton FieldsC.C. Carter | Harry Belafonte | Play | 04:26 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 6 | Mary AnnRay Charles | Harry Belafonte | Play | 02:43 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 7 | Sinner's PrayerLowell Fulson | Harry Belafonte | Play | 03:43 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 8 | Fare Thee WellFred Brooks | Harry Belafonte | Play | 03:24 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 9 | One for My Baby (Remastered) | Harry Belafonte | Play | 04:35 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 10 | In the Evening Mama | Harry Belafonte | Play | 03:30 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 11 | God Bless the Child (Remastered) | Harry Belafonte | Play | 05:05 | 11 MB | 0 MB |
| 42 mins | 98 MB | |||||
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harold Arlen | Composer |
| 2 | Harry Belafonte | Primary Artist |
| 3 | Fred Brooks | Composer |
| 4 | Charles Calhoun | Composer |
| 5 | C.C. Carter | Composer |
| 6 | Ray Charles | Composer |
| 7 | Bob Corman | Leader |
| 8 | Dennis Farnon | Leader |
| 9 | Abey Fonn | Producer |
| 10 | Lowell Fulson | Composer |
| 11 | Kevin Gray | Remastering |
| 12 | Alan Greene | Leader |
| 13 | Nat Hentoff | Liner Notes |
| 14 | Arthur Herzog, Jr. | Composer |
| 15 | Billie Holiday | Composer |
| 16 | Johnny Mercer | Composer |
| 17 | Robert Sliger | Package Design |
| 18 | Dick Stone | Cover Art |
| 19 | Ed Welker | Producer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |