This is another of
Belafonte's
attempts to musically circumnavigate the globe, performing songs from a variety of world cultures. Songs from the West Indies, once a major portion of his repertoire, were reduced to one on this album. Joining him on this album is a junior high school choir from Queens, New York. The album is geared more toward children than
previous efforts; included are such favorites as
Woody Guthrie's
"This Land is Your Land," the Australian classic "Waltzing Matilda," and the American cowboy song "My Old Paint (I Ride an Old Paint)." Highlights include the Japanese court song, "Sakura," the beautiful Israeli love song, "Erev Shel Shoshanim," and a South African song of celebration, "Mangwene Mpulele," which was also sung by
Theodore Bikel
on his first Elektra 12-inch LP,
An Actor's Holiday
. By this time,
Belafonte
was becoming somewhat of a world ambassador; he relates his experiences in the album notes, his first. ~ Cary Ginell