Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Singer and actor Paul Robeson was the most famous basso profundo of his era, a man whose magnificent, rich and spectacularly deep voice captivated audiences for decades. The son of a slave who became a minister, Paul was brought up in a highly principled environment and when Paul won his way to university and qualified as a lawyer he could have easily found a comfortable enough niche denied most African Americans of that time. Instead, Paul became an acclaimed actor and singer and by the ‘20s was singing in Broadway musicals (most people remember Robeson’s rendition of “Ol’ Man River” in Showboat). It was as a tireless spokesperson for the working classes and a voice for black emancipation that Paul is most remembered today. This trawl of 26 recordings made between 1927 and 1938, originally released on HMV, is fascinating and startlingly eclectic ranging from “Song Of The Volga Boatmen” to corny Hollywood movie opuses to sacred hymnody. The material that worked best were his renditions of traditional spirituals of which there are many here. Historians may well want to investigate this intriguing dip into musical history.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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