No demure coffeehouse damsel, Judy Henske stood out from her female folk-singing peers by virtue of her big-boned frame and raw-throated vocals. The essence of her free-ranging stage act is documented on her self-titled 1963 album. Judy’s assertive personality and stinging wit are here along with her knack for barrelhouse blues, macabre murder ballads and comedic singalongs. She doesn’t mind making sport of a time-honored tune, whether it’s a folk piece like “Ballad of Little Romy” or a revivalist hymn like “Salvation Army Song.” She coaxes something eerily magical out of the children’s ditty “Hooka Tooka” and testifies with abandon on the spiritual “Wade In The Water.” Henske likes to come on strong, but she can soft-pedal her belting as she chooses, as evidenced by the nuanced drama in her reading of “Love Henry.” Judy’s tongue-in-cheek song introductions are as entertaining as the tunes themselves. By turns raucous, fervent and sly, Judy Henske stretches the boundaries of the folk genre on this album and has a rollicking good time in the process.