Various Artists - Philadelphia Folk Festival: 40th Anniversary (CD)

All Music Guide

This whopping five-disc set commemorates ~the Philadelphia Folk Festival's 40th anniversary. There's definitely no shortage of music here, each of the five discs filled to the brim. And there's also no shortage of folk superstars, either. Some of the more noteworthy performances include Fairport Convention's "Walk a While," Bonnie Raitt's "Talkin' Fishin' Blues," Nanci Griffith's "From a Distance," Taj Mahal's "Cakewalk Into Town," Ricky Skaggs' "Rawhide," and Richard Thompson's "Bee's Wing," to just name a few. Every performer gets just one song, which is a bit disappointing, but at least there's plenty of variety here. This is a great place to investigate the sound of folk in the late 20th century.

- Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide