AMERICA IN SONG AND STORY

The stories of America's westward expansion—the cowboys, medicine men, rodeos, Wild West shows, traveling preachers, and revival meetings—are told through historical anecdotes and first-person accounts backed with music in this full-cast production. Singer Wayne Salveson does an excellent job performing songs like "Red River Valley" to back up the cowboy stories, but the music elsewhere seems generic, making the first part of the production the strongest. The tales are interesting throughout, with the many narrators voicing historical experiences that take listeners back to those moments. The topic of religion takes up a large part of the presentation, about two hours' worth, with a segment on the Puritan witchcraft trials interrupting the generally upbeat nature of the production. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2009]