“Erie Canal” and “Jacob’s Ladder” are both songs I remember singing as a child in the '50s, “Erie Canal” telling about labor and a trusty mule while “Jacob’s Ladder” is a spiritual straight from the cotton fields of the South. “My Oklahoma Home” is from the dust bowl days and, while the song is one of loss and desperation, Springsteen evokes the music in a different tone.
“Eyes On The Prize” (which is perfect for a funeral procession) and “Pay Me My Money Down” both have a New Orleans spirit to them.
The album concludes with a simple childhood tune, “Froggie Went A Courtin’,” followed by the civil rights anthem, “We Shall Overcome.”
Bruce Springsteen has taken another road less traveled and produced an album of surprising quality, proving that with the right amount of passion and talent, good songs can always live up to their potential. Perhaps the best analysis of We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions is that it offers superior music interpreted by one great artist.
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