Love Call Me Home

Album review

During the 1950s-1960s folk revival, Peggy Seeger developed one of the most distinct vocal styles among traditional singers. She sang within tradition, but honed a personal style that surpassed mere emulation. Perhaps because she was -- like Jean Ritchie -- so traditional, or perhaps because she spent so much time in England, she never received the same name recognition as brother Mike Seeger or half-brother Pete Seeger. This, however, cannot detract from the fine quality of music on Love Call Me Home. Interestingly, the songs of choice show Seeger working the same ground that she first explored some 40 years ago. With -- for the most part -- little accompaniment, she allows her voice to hold center stage on old favorites including "Careless Love," "Hangman," and "Poor Ellen Smith." Highlights include "Love Is Teasing," beautifully performed a cappella. Here, Seeger reminds one of other great American and English traditionalists from Ritchie to Anne Briggs. "Who Killed Cock Robin?" is another fine piece, perfectly underpinned by a five-string banjo, while "Rynerdine" is quietly foreboding. While it might be easy -- from the album's title -- to assume that Love Call Me Home is filled with courting songs, many of these songs have darker themes. Seeger digs deep into the material, delivering a well-wrought album that should go a long way toward reminding everyone of her large talent.
© Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr. /TiVo