Peggy Seeger

Singing "happy birthday” rarely sounds as sweet as when you get a group of musicians together to do it. It becomes even more so when you have an incredible group of people coming together to honour a musician like Peggy Seeger. Three Score and Ten is the full version of her 70th birthday concert. It was originally broadcast in an abridged version by the BBC and has been collected in this two-disc set. It’s one of the better concert albums I’ve heard, as it gives less of a "you should have been there” and more of "you were there” feeling. Every bit of her satire and humour come through, particularly in the more political numbers. "Caveman” criticises U.S. foreign policy and their heavy touch with heavy artillery. It encapsulates the pointed nature of her music, even more so when she explains over the end of the tune that people shouldn’t clap because it doesn’t feel right after singing about death and destruction. Even from the dark and gloom songs like "Home Sweet Home” shine through, which takes the annoyances of modern life, where stupidity seems the rule, and turns them into a whimsical, rollicking tune, but without losing its bite. It takes most of the first disc to even get everyone introduced, as new folks wander on and off for each number. The whole project is almost as monumental as Peggy’s career, spanning lives and times, and sweetly speaking the truth throughout.