Robeson's professional concert career began in 1925 when he and Lawrence Brown, who was to be his accompanist for decades, played the Greenwich Village Theatre. This CD presents Robeson and Brown performing the spirituals for which Robeson is best remembered. The 16 selections are taken from two concerts given in New York in 1945 and '47. Robeson was damaged personally and professionally because of his beliefs, but his quality as a performer could not be denied. Other recordings present more of his political stance; this one provides classic Robeson performances of the kind that first made him famous and beloved. --Stanley Booth