We try to find one vintage recording for each hour of Ornaments. And when we looked at "Christmas Spirituals" by Odetta, we found a goldmine. She recorded the album in 1963, and used it as a platform to, as the title suggests, bring back the religious and meaningful aspects of Christmas, especially as it resonated in the African American community. Luckily for us, she was coming to town with the Glory Bound tour, and that's where we recorded her talking about the songs we picked.

Two songs? Well, back in 1963 an album could be twenty-five minutes long and still be considered complete. These songs not only make a nice pairing, but together they are less time than most contemporary songs are by themselves. Still, there is a beautiful simplicity in each song individually. Neither needs to be any longer, the message and the feeling are there.

Odetta made her debut in 1950. She's been one of the bedrocks of American folk music ever since. She inspired no less up and coming music giants than Dylan and Joan Baez. To have her as a guest on Ornaments is truly an honor.

Learn more about Odetta at concertedefforts.com/odetta.htm.