MILT OKUN

New York Times, 1956

POPULAR AMERICAN FOLK SONGS ON LP, by Robert Shelton
Milt Okun--America's Best Loved Folk Songs

..Sung by a graduate of a music conservatory, obviously at home on stage or with a microphone, ... (Milt Okun) uses a cultivated baritone to interpret some of the country's best-known folk songs. ...The disk shows (a) valid approach to folk singing --musical refinement and "improvement".

Milt Oken ... had the redoubtable task of choosing sixteen songs to record on the Baton label under the title of America's Best Loved Folk Songs. One may regret the omission of this or that favorite, but from "Cindy" to "Casey Jones," "On Top of Old Smoky" or "Sweet Betsy from Pike," he has assembled some of the most popular. From a contemplative "Shenandoah" to a vigorous "Rock Island Line" (with Roger Sprung's banjo driving hard behind his own guitar accompaniment) Okun sings his selections sincerely and winningly. With the fine quality of the recorded sound, this should make a valuable addition to any record library.

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