Fifty years after his death, Lead Belly is universally recognized as one of the essential contributors of American folk and blues. He left behind such chestnuts as “Midnight Special,” “Rock Island Line” and “Good Night Irene” as well as singing his way out of prison twice. This time he’s likely to sing his way again into the hearts of leaded and unleaded fans alike through two phases of his career. Like the title suggests, the disc bridges together a 1938 recording session, while he still resided in the South, with a ’46 session after relocating to Yankee land and aligning himself with the leftist folk community. The dozen cuts from the ’38 session are much more audible, providing an authentic taste of Lead Belly’s charm with his booming baritone voice and quick chords from his 12-string. Several songs are about jail (two are a cappella prison hollers), one deals with cotton farming while another deals with the good life spiced with a cocaine reference. Given Lead Belly’s history, “Governor O.K. Allen” is a highlight as this is the one that freed the troubled troubadour from Angola prison shackles. The last five cuts are audibly rougher in sound quality but nevertheless show Lead Belly’s progression as a songwriter. Both segments include the seminal classic “Good Night Irene” that’s as much a part of Louisiana folklore as its seemingly immortal creator.