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From the perspective of the career of Pete Seeger, "We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions" is not what you might expect because if you think this is going to be a collection of covers of the greatest songs written by the American folk icon, then you are gong to be surprised and possibly disappointed. "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?," "If I Had a Hammer," and "Turn, Turn, Turn" are not going to be found here. The most recognizable song would be the title track, the song Seeger based on a spiritual that became the anthem of the Civil Rights movement. But this baker's dozen collection of tracks more about traditional songs that Seeger performed that Bruce Springsteen is passing along to a new generation. The second most recognizable song would probably be the last one, "Froggie Went a Courtin'" (which has been around at least since 1549), although "Erie Canal" would have to be second on that list. If you have any passing familiarity with American folk music then "Shenandoah," "John Henry," and "Old Dan Tucker" should be recognizable as well.
Then again, this album is not what you would expect from a Bruce Springsteen album, given that the Boss has never done a cover album before. He has done a few notable covers, from Tom Wait's "Jersey Girl" and Patti Smith's "Because the Night" to "War" and "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," so it is interesting that Springsteen would suddenly decide to do it for an entire album. Seeger is certainly a legend, and if this album introduces a new generation of fans to his work so much the better. But having watched Springsteen fail (by his standard anyway) with his acoustic albums "Nebraska," "The Ghost of Tom Joad," and "Devils & Dust," it is interesting to see what happens when he takes his acoustic guitar and backs it up a full folk music ensemble recording LIVE, without rehearsals, in three one-day sessions cut in 1997, 2005 and 2006. The irony is that those other acoustic efforts sound more like Seeger's work than this album, because most Seeger recordings are just him playing his banjo. But if you flip the CD over for the DVD side of the disc you can see the recording of some of these tracks and that what you think was going on in the studio from listening to these tracks is just what you see. Plus there are a couple of bonus tracks on the other side, "Buffalo Gals" and "How Can I Keep from Singing."
The background on this 2006 album is that Springsteen was working on putting together a second album of "Tracks," collecting his rarities, when he came across a set of recordings he had made in 1997 for the Seeger tribute album, "Where Have All the Flowers Gone: The Songs of Pete Seeger." The only contribution from Springsteen ended up being "We Shall Overcome" on the album which had 39 tracks recorded by everyone from the Weavers and Peter, Paul & Mary to the Indigo Girls and Ani Difranco. This inspired Springsteen to record an entire album of folk tunes that Pete Seeger had popularized, and some of the musicians he brought together for this album had played on those sessions back in 1997. The liner notes by Dave Marsh provide a brief introduction on the background of each song. For example, "Old Dan Tucker," is: "An antique fiddle tune, often used for square dances, made famous around 1843 when Dan Emmett, one of the greatest early minstrel singers, wrote a version of these lyrics for his group, the Virginia Minstrels." You have to admire the mix of brevity and detail, which contrasts nicely with the rollickin' good time these musicians have in the studio. I find these songs addictive, and while they are not everybody's cup of tea, they have my toe tappin' through constant replay.
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