Wish you were here, Karen
Just listen to the title song.
This is woman out of her own time, and she feels it.

She makes you feel it too.

Forget the posers. Listen up.

At Last.
It has taken a long time for these recordings to be released on CD and because Karen Dalton did not like recording there are only a couple of albums of her material available.

I agree with most, that her voice is reminescent of Billie Holiday's but she covers different material from a different time and was her own woman. This is my favourite of the two studio albums from one of Dylan's favourite singers from the 1960's.

This record is vital to any lover of good music.

What a great voice . . .
As legend has it, it took quite a bit of convincing to get Karen Dalton into the studio to record this album, and it was a spur-of-the-moment decision. Consequently, the arrangements are loose and the accompaniment is not varied much--Dalton's 12-string (don't hear any banjo, despite what the liner notes say), a guitar or two playing lead, spare percussion, and some bass are mostly the extent of the backing instruments. Fortunately, the focus is on Karen's voice, which is a real pearl. No one else really sounded like her before or since, and although this album isn't very polished, it's invaluable as one of the only two studio recordings of Karen ever made.

Although Karen played a whole lot of folk, most of these songs are blues, and some of the writing is great. Two Fred Neil cuts are highlights--"Little Bit of Rain" and "Blues on the Ceiling." "Ribbon Bow" is a great brooding traditional tune. The title track and "Right Wrong or Ready" are also highlights. Really what ties the set together is Karen's voice--if you haven't heard it, it's pretty tough to describe it. It's so complex, involving a strained breath at the beginning of words, a kind of southern-accent nasal pronunciation of sounds, and a really guttural, emotive undertone. Some people are annoyed by her voice, but I recommend giving it a chance--it's a shame to write off such a complex gem of originality for sounding a bit uncommon. With her unique vocal tools, Dalton wrings the emotion, pain and life out of these songs. Even though she didn't write them, with such impressive readings, it doesn't really matter.

Of the two albums Karen Dalton recorded, this is far and away the lesser jewel. Its faults are rooted in the off-the-cuff way it was recorded: most of the backing instrument parts don't add very much to the songs, and since it was essentially a jam session, the playing is almost frustratingly tentative--the guitars sound like they're just playing to fill the space and end up just noodling. For me, this makes the overall feel of the album downbeat and more mellow than it may have sounded with better arrangements and preparation, or if it was just Dalton and her guitar. As it is, the songs kind of float by and all sound very similar.

I recommend this album, but I recommend you buy Dalton's second, recently reissued album In My Own Time. Its production is polar opposite--much slicker (but not overly so), much more interesting and impressive accompaniment, and everything sounds better-prepared. Additionally, the song choice is much more varied--blues and folk are accompanied by R&B, rock, jazzier numbers and more pop/rock sounding numbers. I think it may be easier to fall in love with Karen's voice starting with her second album, and once you've gotten into it is the time to check this one out. It's a fine document and showcase for her voice and it supplements the better thought-out In My Own Time. I hope you enjoy both albums!

Mellow blues...
I wasn't sure what to expect when I purchased this CD, although I was somewhat prepared for Karen Dalton's voice after reading several of the reviews that compared her to Billie Holliday. Her delivery also struck me as similar to Nina Simone and Esther Phillips, definitely didn't sound like a white woman to me. Her voice is one that almost makes you ache just hearing it, she doesn't sing any upbeat tunes on this disc. I was surprised to hear that most of the vocals on this album were first takes, apparently the engineer recorded her rehearsals of the songs to get a more spontaneous feel for the album. Just goes to show you that this woman didn't play around, she sang from her heart every time. Her use of acoustic instruments throughout the CD enhances the mellow feel of the songs, one of which was written by her friend Fred Neil. Her version of his "Blues On The Ceiling" is markedly different from Neil's version on the album "Bleeker and McDougal". My favorite song off of this CD is probably her version of Tim Hardin's "How Did The Feeling Feel to You?" The liner notes give a somewhat spotty history of her life but emphasize the fact that Karen Dalton loved playing music for fun but hated having to perform shows, which explains why her music never took off. The liner notes also implied that drug and alcohol abuse may have been a factor, but who knows. If you are a fan of the blues you should hear this underappreciated singer. She definitely had talent and made music for the right reasons. After hearing this CD I am eagerly awaiting the re-release of her second album and will definitely get a copy of that too.

Excellent service
Great - this CD was not available in the UK - swift delivery from the US - well done! Thanks