A typical
Arlo Guthrie mix of contemporary folk songs and unexpected material from the past, with a little
Bob Dylan and dad
Woody Guthrie added for good measure.
Guthrie's cover of
Dylan's "When the Ship Comes In" is superb, as is his slide guitar take on
Hoyt Axton's "Lightning Bar Blues." Also worth noting are renditions of
Woody's sad ballad, "1913 Massacre,"
Axton's "Somebody Turned on the Light," and
Guthrie's own "Days Are Short." And then there is his definitive cover of "The City of New Orleans,"
Steve Goodman's ode to the vanishing railroads of middle America. "New Orleans" was
Guthrie's only real hit single, and its "Good morning, America, how are ya?" chorus echoed from AM radios throughout the land, making the song a folk music standard.
–
Jim Newsom, Rovi