Gonna Let It Shine: A Concert for the Holidays (CD - 2005)

Personnel: Odetta (vocals); Seth Farber (piano).

Additional personnel: The Holmes Brothers (vocals).

The doyenne of folk and blues singers for over 50 years, Odetta has influenced artists like Bob Dylan and Joan Baez and blazed a trail both for civil rights in America and human rights internationally. GONNA LET IT SHINE, recorded live at New York's Fordham University, is a sampling of the holiday spirituals that have made up a small part of her concert repertoire over the decades. Her voice remains surprisingly unweathered by time, and the warmth and empathy generated by her performances on songs like like the transporting "Mary Had a Baby," the exuberant "What Month Was Jesus Born In?" and the delightful "Shout for Joy," is palpable. minimize