You probably don't know her name, and you know what, it's pretty unlikely you've heard any of her songs, either. But it's weird, because Karen Dalton really is one of the best bluesy, American folk singers we've ever had (and that's not just me making gradiose claims 'cause I write this blog alone and I got no one to stop me - Bob Dylan and Devendra Banhart and Nick Cave agree). She released one album in the late '70s (In My Own Time -- plus It's So Hard To Tell You..., which is floating around) which were recently re-released, and now there'll be a release of her early recordings. It's irritating that somebody like Banhart's gotta come around and plug an artist like Dalton for her to get any attention, but that's just how the world works. She's got one of the most memorable voices I've ever heard, often likened to Billie Holiday. Hopefully, it'll be on vinyl (almost positive it will be), 'cause that's how her music oughta be heard.
TRACKLIST:
01 It's Alright
02 Everytime I Think of Freedom
03 Cotton Eyed Joe
04 Pastures of Plenty
05 One May Morning
06 Red Are the Flowers
07 Blues on the Ceiling
08 Run Tell That Major
09 Down and Out
10 Fannin' Street
01 In the Evening
02 Old Hannah
03 Pallett on Your Floor
04 Prettiest Train
05 Mole in the Ground
06 Darlin' Corey
07 It Hurts Me Too
08 Katie Cruel
09 Blackjack
10 No More Taters
LISTEN:
"In A Station" [MP3]
"It Hurts Me Too" [MP3]
ON THE WEB:
Karen Dalton's MySpace
1 comment:
Someone sent me a mix CD with one of her songs on it, "A Little Bit Of Rain." I loved it. Kind of like folk-y Billie Holiday spliced with someone else I'm drawing a blank on.
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