Songs of Hard Times: Up, Over and Through is a 20-song collection, compiled from the vast holdings of the Alan Lomax Archives relating to trouble and adversity and ways and means of enduring and transcending them. The selection reflects an enormous range of geographical and stylistic diversity across 50 years of Lomax recordings. Artists range from legends of American vernacular music — Bessie Jones, Skip James, and Dock Boggs among them — to rural Italian, Spanish, and Scottish singers. Six of its 20 tracks are previously unreleased. This album is exclusively available as a download or stream via Bandcamp.
The Archives is also responsible for “Trouble Won’t Last Always,” a daily offering similarly focusing on songs of hardship, survival, and perseverance. Some are sacred, some secular. Topics range from occupational, political, romantic, existential, metaphysical, or combinations thereof. Follow along with #outlasttrouble on the Archive’s social media pages.
In these trying times, comfort, diversion, and historical perspective are all crucial assets, and the Alan Lomax Archives hopes this music will provide this.
