My Lord What A Mornin'

With this album, Belafonte moved into his most artistically productive period. The LPs he made into the mid-'60s were all concept albums zeroing in on specific folk music themes. My Lord What a Mornin' was the first of two albums that featured the choir known as the Belafonte Folk Singers, conducted by Bob Corman, who were by then recording as a group in their own right for RCA Victor. The album consists of traditional Negro spirituals, delivered by Belafonte, who combined his acting and singing abilities with his deep understanding of the subject matter, thanks to his growing interest in his African American heritage and the civil rights movement. Noted poet Langston Hughes penned the liner notes, describing in detail the history of spirituals. This is an emotional, satisfying album, although not quite as powerful as Belafonte Returns to Carnegie Hall.