AMG Review of Burl Ives Sings

Paul Collins
All Music Guide

There are some true classics that are well represented here by Ives' amiable narration and singing -- "The Little Engine That Could," "Mr. Froggie Went A-Courtin'," and a medley of Mother Goose rhymes. "The Grey Goose" (mislabeled as "The Grey Moose") doesn't surpass Leadbelly's sublime rendition, but it does have the advantage of more easily decipherable lyrics -- no small matter in a children's album. But not every song has aged well for modern sensibilities; there's the butchering inventory of "The Sow," or how an angry owner ties "The Goat" to railroad tracks with a locomotive approaching.