To see Odetta perform is to witness a woman possessed by song, each note wrung with emotion as she assumes the strength and pain of the blues. Rarely does an artist so fully invest each song with such complete devotion, evincing the power and sincerity of every moment.
In Austin to benefit the St. James Episcopal School, Odetta effused a grace, poise, and compassion that encompassed the congregation of 250 inside the church Saturday. At age 77, she no longer plays the guitar with her commanding strum and, escorted out in a wheelchair, it was uncertain how fully she would still be able to sustain her famous vocal range, misgivings accentuated by the somewhat halted opening reading of Marianne Williamson’s famous passage, “Our worst fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” Yet as soon as Odetta burst a cappella into “This Little Light of Mine,” there was no doubt she still possesses one of the most entrancing voices in folk music.
Throughout the nearly 70-minute set, she introduced the songs with cultural and personal histories, declaring before “Careless Love” that “If there was ever a ‘smelting’ pot in this country, I feel it was in our food and our music.” “Something Inside So Strong” roared clear throughout the chapel, Odetta carrying the weight of the song’s determination and joy in every line of her face.
Leadbelly figured prominently among the song list, most impressively invoked on the scathing “Washington is a Bourgeois Town,” and attempted sing-along of “Rock Island Line.” Bessie Smith’s “TB Blues” rattled with a wracked and mortal moan and “You Gotta Know How” spiked with a playful sass. Odetta was forced to occasionally give the song over to her pianist, Radislav Larkovich, as she fought through fits of coughing, but she quickly recovered, losing none of her power.
Closing with “House of the Rising Sun” brought shouts from the crowd and provided the evening’s most exceptional moment. Odetta’s voice flowed delicate across a supple range, brandishing the opening low and fierce and segueing into an a cappella alto as she inserted verses from the ballad “When I Was a Young Girl.” With a smile as broad and bright as the altar, Odetta’s sheer vocal power remained a revelation.
This article appears in June 6 • 2008.
