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"My favorite singer in the place was Karen Dalton. She had a voice like Billie Holiday's and played the guitar like Jimmy Reed"- Bob Dylan This essential folk/blues classic, originally released in 1969, was the debut album by Karen Dalton. Dalton was discovered by singer/songwriter Fred Neil, who introduced her to producer Nick Venet (the man who signed The Beach Boys and took The Beatles to America). She cut most of the tracks with one take, and all in one night. A perfectionist, Dalton was hard to convince to record, and producers Venet and Neil were only successful by tricking her into thinking the tape wasn't rolling.
"Some find Karen Dalton's voice difficult to listen to", wrote AllMusic critic Richie Unterberger. "But Dalton's vocals aren't that hard to take, and they are expressive; like Buffy Sainte-Marie, it just does take some getting used to because of their unconventional timbre." On this album, Dalton covers a wide range of styles, from lim Hardin, Jelly Roll Morton, and Leadbelly to the traditional folk song "Ribbon Bow" and the Eddie Floyd/Booker T. Jones penned soul tune "I Love You More Than Words Can Say." She also sings a couple of Neil tunes. After years of drug abuse, Dalton died in 1993, aged 55. Although she didn't enjoy commercial success during her lifetime, her work has gained significant recognition since her death, and artists like Nick Cave, Devendra Banhart, and Joanna Newsom have noted her as an influence.
Tracklist
Side A
1. Little Bit Of Rain
2. Sweet Substitute
3. Ribbon Bow
4. I Love You More Than Words Can Say
5. In The Evening
Side B
1. Blues On The Ceiling
2. It Hurts Me Too
3. How Did The Feeling Feel To You
4. Right
5. Down On The Street