Buffy Sainte-Marie - I'm Gonna Be a Country Girl Again

Forty years ago, in 1968, Buffy Sainte-Marie released her I'm Gonna Be a Country Girl Again. It didn't attain the legendary status of some of its contemporary competitors, but four decades later I'm still enjoying the hell out of it.

Sainte-Marie emerged from the same cohort of Canadian artists that included Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, and Neil Young, and her early music was informed by both psychedelia and the New York folk scene. I'm Gonna Be a Country Girl Again was largely (though not entirely) a departure from protest songs and the like. As the title implies, it is basically a country record. Not unlike Joan Baez or Bob Dylan, however, it ventures into country tones while retaining the folk spirit that defined the mid-to-late 1960s.

Sainte-Marie's passion is evident, and the slight quiver often present in her voice gives her a distinctive tone. The record is made up of both originals and covers, and one of each is available to sample here.

Buffy Sainte-Marie - He's a Pretty Good Man if You Ask Me
Buffy Sainte-Marie - They Gotta Quit Kickin' My Dawg Around

She remains an artist and activist, and Vanguard Records has reissued some of her significant works in recent years. Certainly artist worth revisiting, or looking into for the first time.