If I Had a Song: The Songs of Pete Seeger, Vol. 2

1	Guantanamera / Joan Baez 6:35
2	If I Had a Hammer / Eliza Carthy 3:07
3	Words, Words, Words / The Minus 5 3:00
4	Walking Down Death Row / Steve Earle 3:48
5	Oh, Had I a Golden Thread / Toshi Reagon 5:16
6	66 Highway Blues / Arlo Guthrie 2:20
7	Talking Union / John McCutcheon 5:09
8	Maple Syrup Time / Moxy Früvous 3:35
9	Snow, Snow / Eric Andersen 4:08
10	Little Boxes / Kate & Anna McGarrigle Petetes Boîtes 3:39
11	Last Train to Nuremberg / Joel Rafael Band 4:19
12	You'll Sing to Me Too / Guardabarranco 3:09
13	This Old Car / Arlo Guthrie 2:59
14	Old Devil Time / Mapgpie 3:38
15	The Emperor Is Naked Today-O / Tracy Grammer 2:51
16	Well May the World Go / Pete Seeger 6:26

Barnes & Noble

From the lively opening bars of Joan Baez and Jackson Browne’s upbeat version of "Guantanamera" to the closing lines of Pete Seeger leading us in "Well May the World Go," this CD, The Songs of Pete Seeger, Volume Two in a series, lets us know we have come across an American treasure trove: music from the bulging and extraordinary songbooks of Pete Seeger. The collection stresses diversity of style, presentation, and musical adaptability. A case in point is the earthy sound of Billy Bragg’s version of "If I Had a Hammer," stripped of all cuteness and prettiness and sounding very much like the strong anthem it was meant to be. Or Steve Earle’s hauntingly lyrical interpretation of "Walkin’ Down Death’s Row," which gives the song a viability well beyond its strong protest context. One of the best things about this compilation is just how personal and intimate each Seeger song becomes in the hands and style of each artist. Eric Anderson’s rendition of "Snow, Snow" fits beautifully into his canon -- a stylistic ballad carved out with the exquisite detail of the classic Anderson sound. "Talkin’ Union" (John McCutcheon and Corey Harris) becomes a rap song, and Kate and Anna McGarrigle’s intricate harmonies turn "Little Boxes" into a signature piece. Many of Seeger’s songs may have originally been written in response to a particular event or moment in history; such is often the case with topical song. But this glorious collection clearly shows the ways in which Seeger, an American icon, has given us a solid sampler that is a reflection on more than a half century of thinking and singing about America in the progressive tradition. There is no doubt about the power of this music and its celebratory nature; we can all be excited as we look forward to Volume Three. Elena Pinto Simon

All Music Guide

Few songwriters encapsulate the political awareness, ecological activism, anti-war sentiment, the embracing of traditional musical forms and yearning for global peace of the folk movement than Pete Seeger. His music has affected millions, and on If I Had a Song: The Songs of Pete Seeger, Vol. 2 many of his disciples pay tribute to the songs Seeger has written or, at the very least, made popular. This release is actually the second in a trilogy of tribute albums from Appleseed Recordings that began with Where Have All the Flowers Gone: The Songs of Pete Seeger and will continue with a third disc in 2002. On this release, artists like Jackson Browne, Joan Baez, Billy Bragg, Arlo Guthrie, Eric Andersen, Dar Williams, Toshi Reagon, John Wesley Harding, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Steve Earle, Moxy Früvous, and Corey Harris pay homage to this legendary songwriter with mixed results. Some of the performances are truly inspired, such as Dar Williams and Toshi Reagon's impassioned "Oh, Had I a Golden Thread" and Eric Andersen's earthy "Snow, Snow." Steve Earle chooses a likely subject in "Walking Down Death Row," performing it with his usual gruff earnestness, and it's fun to hear an older Seeger and Arlo Guthrie harmonizing like they did twenty years ago on 1982's Precious Friend. Unfortunately, as was the case with the first tribute album, some of the tracks are a little weak, such as John McCutcheon and Corey Harris rap version of "Talking Union," and (surprisingly) Billy Bragg and Eliza Carthy's off the cuff version of "If I Had a Hammer." None of the songs are as great as the originals, but, Seeger himself states in the liner notes, "the world is full of cooks changing old recipes to fit new stomachs" and "lawyers changing old laws to fit new citizens," and since this is a textbook definition of the folk music process rolling onward, it is a success. Zac Johnson