Single Review: Izzie’s Caravan Delivers Woody Guthrie’s “I Ain’t Got No Home”

It’s the travelling man’s anthem. It’s the working man’s anthem. It’s the honest man’s anthem. That’s why Izzie’s Caravan have tackled ‘I Ain’t Got No Home’, the legendary folk song written by Woody Guthrie back in the early 20th century. 

In tribute to the icon of American folk music, released on his birthday, Izzie has swerved away from the crunchy, riff-orientated blues rock that he’s become revered for. Instead, he’s slowed down the tempo, choosing to amp up the warmth and sentiment for his rendition. And it’s a heartfelt, appropriate take on a gospel-folk tune that has lasted the ages, which emphasises Izzie’s growing craft and versatility – he no longer needs to rely on a riff to form the hook, when his regretful tone lures you in immediately. Given his noted idols include John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, and Buddy Guy, he always had a deeper melancholy to pull out of his locker.

“Rich man took my home and drove me from my door, and I ain’t got no home in this world anymore.” The message resonates even nowadays, given the widened gap in equality amongst the world’s richest nations and the poorest, even the citizens of those rich countries themselves are victims of inequality. Music, as ever, is a powerful tool for change, and Izzie recognises this.

Guthrie based his version of the track – that laments the continued difficulties and obstacles he faced in life – on an old gospel song he heard in migrant camps. Now, Izzie is taking on the baton. And it couldn’t have fallen to a more suitable artist.

–Thomas Curtish