In 1962, accompanied only by his own acoustic guitar, Dave Van Ronk cut one of the era's most unassumingly incisive folk albums. His raw, street-singer voice had more in common with those who originated the traditional tunes he tackles here than with most of his sweeter-sounding contemporaries; depicting the savagery of "The Cruel Ship's Captain", he takes on a downright feral quality. But the quiet intensity he masterfully builds on a tune like "Kentucky Moonshiner" shows off his subtlety and sophistication.