The lighter, more rollicking side of
Burl Ives' repertory gets an airing here, 14 songs deep, including familiar fare such as "Blue Tail Fly," "Big Rock Candy Mountain," "Old Dan Tucker," and "Aunt Rhody." A lot of the material would have been familiar in the 19th century (which was just over 50 years gone when the album came out), but
Ives also put his own stamp on some of it, such as "Wooly Boogie Bee," adapted from the song "Cindy." The mood is lighthearted, but it's not all wafting innocuous melodies, as "Goober Peas" calls up some serious echoes.
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Bruce Eder, Rovi