Customer Reviews

The Unclaimed Pint / In the Circle of the Sun

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Twenty years before traditional music showed any sign of making a comeback, Sally Rogers was performing beautiful, true-to-form renditions of classic ballads, as well as compositions of her own that sounded right at home alongside them. Like most modern-day folksingers of such longevity, she has gone largely unnoticed by the mainstream but is revered by the genre's hardcore fans. What does set Rogers apart from most of her peers is her combination of a purist approach to instrumentation and a progressive, often feminist sensibility in her original lyrics and choices of traditional songs. This collection, culled from her first two albums, features what just might be the best distillation of that formula.

More than most post-60s songwriters, Rogers has studied the roots of her craft just as seriously as she loves the songs themselves, and it shows in that it's often hard to tell the original compositions here from the traditional ones. (I thought for a long time that Rogers wrote "Jubilee," until I found out that Carolyn Hester had recorded it years beforehand, and I still think of Rogers' version as the definitive one.) "Lovely Agnes," a musical biography of Rogers' grandmother written as a gift for her 92nd birthday, is just the sort of song one could imagine as a folk classic decades from now. Alongside it, Rogers sounds equally authoritative on songs that already hold that distinction, such as "When I Was a Fair Maid" and "I'm Going Home to Georgia." Other standouts include "White Oak Mountains," a tragic, angry traditional ballad set to an energetic bluegrass raveup; "I Wish I Had Someone to Love," this collection's most wistful moment; "The Touch of the Master's Hand," an obscure but inspiring poem set to music by Rogers; "Circle of the Sun," another original that sounds like it's been in the canon for years; and the finest performance I've ever heard of Bob Franke's often-covered "Thanksgiving Eve."

Regrettably, there were a few songs on both of the LPs represented here ("The Unclaimed Pint" and "In the Circle of the Sun") that have been deleted from the CD, probably in order to fit all the music on a single disc. The rollicking "Kissing Song" is especially sorely missed. Nonetheless, the songs that are included are uniformly wonderful. This is modern folk music at its very best. Don't miss it!

I am 20 years old, and I have been listening to The Unclaimed Pint for as long as I can remember. For many years, I listened to her sweet, soothing, and strong voice because my father would put the record on the record player. Now, having studied music and listened to music of all genres, I find myself putting this CD on in my car and in my house to come home to this warm, friendly collection of folk songs, many a capella, and all sung with feeling appropriate to the mood of the song. This is a CD to share with family.

I've seen Sally Rogers in person in Northern New York at St. Lawrence University. Her performance is electrifying. She has the purest soprano I have heard in years yet it is soft, melodic and very enjoyable. Her music is lyrical and provides the best listening. I have both of these LP albums but with CDs being prominent want to be able to listen on any venue.

Sandra

Sally out did herself on this album! Everyone in our family loves this album from our 8 month old grandson to our 77 year old uncle! The songs are wonderfully melodic and exquisitely done. The songs are fun to dance, dream and sing to. This is a must have in everyone's collection.

One of my favorite all time albums. This is early Sally and very folky. She sings several songs acapella and the music ranges from rich versions of traditional songs to songs like Lovely Agnes, written by Sally herself.

Her voice as an instrument really stands out in its clarity and wonderful tone. The songs are fun and a pleasure to listen too from a story telling perspective. My 5 year old son enjoys listening to the stories and he asks me plently of questions about the stories. The album avoids left/right politics and political correctness and reflects the simplier times when a song could just be a song and not a weapon. This is her finest work !