The first of several albums by Appalachia-born dulcimer player and singer Jean Ritchie and Canadian singer-guitarist Oscar Brand, 1957's Riddle Me This collects riddle and courtship songs from the North American and English traditions, performed with the characteristic wit, sly humor, and high spirits that would come to typify Ritchie and Brand's collaboration. Ritchie, in particular, is in excellent voice throughout, playing the title role in the comic dialogue song "The Old Woman's Courtship" with an exaggerated twang and her most flirtatious delivery. Those who know Brand primarily for his albums of bawdy tunes and rude military drinking songs will be surprised by the boyish edge of his vocals, especially on familiar children's tunes such as "What Are Little Boys Made Of" and "Who Killed Cock Robin." The song selection tends toward old familiars like "The Cambric Shirt" (the basic theme of which, including the "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme" refrain in each verse, was copped by Paul Simon for "Scarborough Fair/Canticle" nearly a decade later) and "I Will Give My Love an Apple," the choice of variant lyrics seemingly driven by which versions were the most straightforward, humorous, and story-like. Dave Sears' banjo is the most prominent accompaniment on most songs, which is somewhat disappointing for fans of Ritchie's world-class dulcimer playing, but Riddle Me This is an enchanting collection.