Nothing Seems Better To Me: The Music Of Frank Proffitt And North Carolina Vol 2

Volume one of this collection featured an overview of the music collected in the South over five decades by Frank and Ann Warner. (See Her Bright Smile Haunts Me Still: The Warner Collection, Vol. 1.) This simultaneously released second collection focuses largely on Frank Proffitt, who taught "Tom Dooley" to the Warners (who passed it on to the Kingston Trio, whose three-million-selling version helped launch the modern folk revival). Also, here are such terrific unknowns as Lee Monroe, Presnell, Buna Hicks, and Rebecca King Jones. Like volume one, this collection offers a rare and unforgettable look at a lost world. There's lots of evocative between song chit-chat and an abundance of priceless early folk music. The sound quality is first-rate, especially considering that these are field recordings, made mostly on very primitive equipment. And the liner notes -- featuring photos by Frank Warner, essays by the couple's two sons, and lots of detail on the songs and artists -- are exemplary. ~ Jeff Burger