Peggy Seeger
Love Call Me Home
“She brings new life to traditional tunes ‘Rynerdine,’ ‘London Bridge,’ and ‘Who Killed Cock Robin’ while expanding the traditions with original songs ‘Sing About These Hard Times’ and the title track. . . Seeger demonstrates how timeless this material really is.”
– Dirty Linen |
“This is a truly delightful record. I absolutely loved Peggy’s last two releases on Appleseed, especially the beautiful Heading For Home (released in the fall of 2003) which formed the first installment of a projected ‘Home Trilogy’ (the fluid concept of ‘home’ embracing her American birthplace, England, stages where she's performed, her physical body and the music that has shaped her career) – of which Love Call Me Home is now the second. Believe it or not, Peggy’s fast approaching her 70th birthday, but on this record she sounds virtually ageless, i.e., every bit as fresh as she has in ages, radiating the good vibe that can only come from a singer so deeply connected to her material and displaying that innate and comprehensive understanding of the songs she chooses to sing. Love Call Me Home is Peggy's 21st solo album, on which she again mixes old songs with new compositions of her own, of which here there are just two, bookending the album. Dealing with the latter category first, these – although highly contrasted – are particularly fine examples of homage-writing; ‘Sing About These Hard Times’ is kinda based (at any rate musically) on the spiritual ‘Down To The River To Pray,’ and updates the mood of the times as a contemporary response to an exhibition of artwork of the Great Depression, whereas the album’s title track is a tenderly felt remembrance of a friend, Christine Lassiter, who died of cancer four years ago (for in the end, love calls everyone home). The rest of the songs are traditional in origin . . . These are loving performances indeed, and tremendously affecting . . . Accompaniments are homely and simple, using favourite instruments like autoharp, Appalachian dulcimer, banjo, psaltery, guitar, fiddle and mandolin . . . The whole project has a tangible and highly satisfying unity that’s brought to it by Peggy's own potent and thoroughly likeable presence (the personification of a folk artist) and her inborn understanding of the repertoire, songs with which she's truly at one and at home.”
– NetRhythms |
“Though she’s 70 years old, Peggy Seeger still keeps as busy as ever. A true folksinging icon, her clear, ageless vocals still carry much weight on Love Call Me Home (4 stars), the second volume in her Home Trilogy series. With sparse instrumentation and strong, distinctive vocals, Peggy lets the songs speak for themselves. From original songs written in a traditional style (‘Sing About These Hard Times’), to Americanised sounds of traditional English folk songs and unaccompanied Appalachian ballads, Peggy Seeger honours all those who came before her. . . . An immaculate old-timey record with the benefit of modern sound technology.”
– Maverick, UK |
“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. . . . 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., All Music Guide |
“The spirit of this music is a spirit of the past. Not as much to the distant past where traditional song comes from but rather to the hey-days of the 20th century folk music revival. These are pure and plain folk songs, music that is essentially simple. No experiments, no frills, but timeless in itself. At least one treasure in this hectic pace of ours.”
– Tom Keller, FolkWorld, Germany |
“…Many of these songs are ones she’s probably known or sung for many years and she brings to them the weight of her performer’s experience.”
– Mike Regenstreif, Sing Out! |
“One of the pre-eminent traditional singers still working delivers the second in her home trilogy of new works. Tackling a raft of traditional music she hasn't recording in her 50 years of waxing, Seeger delivers like a true pro that could do it with her eyes closed but thinks her fans deserve more than that. True, classic folk fans will go nuts for this set.”
– Midwest Record |
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