For those whose only experience of Paul Robeson is a recording of “Ol’ Man River,” On My Journey will be a real ear-opener. The pieces collected here were recorded in recital halls, small studios and people’s homes between 1953 and 1957, years during which Robeson was blacklisted as a suspected communist. It should come as no surprise, then, that he focuses on songs of love and hope in the face of fear and oppression.
    With only piano accompaniment on most pieces, Robeson’s majestic bass voice shines. He infuses works by European composers like Mussorgsky and Dvorak and the distinctive cadences of a Hassidic chant with the same depth and richness as African-American spirituals and songs from the Warsaw Ghetto. His last low note on “Stand Still, Jordan” and his higher notes in “Passing By” are both enough to induce shivers, while his delivery of the cheeky Yiddish folk song “Vi Azoi Lebt Der Keyser” raises a smile. At 32 songs and 76 minutes in length, there’s almost too much material for one listen, but smaller journeys through it are worth taking multiple times.