Don't Turn Your Back

Dale Ann Bradley | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 19, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Compass Records
• ASIN: B002436WT4
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #102,977 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bradley's Doesn't Turn Her Back on Originality, June 5, 2009

By 

Timothy Yap "thy4568" (Sydney, NSW, Australia) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Don't Turn Your Back (Audio CD)

Prime Cuts: He's the Last Thing on My Mind, Will I Be Good Enough, 50 Miles of Elbow Room

Bradley doesn't just sing, she owns the songs she sings. Regardless of genre, whether it's Hoyt Axton's "Rusty Old Halo" or Patty Loveless' "The Last Thing on My Mind" or the Carter Family's "50 Miles of Elbow Room" or Fleetwood Mac's "Over My Head," Bradley sings them as though they were written just for her alone. Her sweet and backwoods voice has a way of conjuring up feelings of a rustic down home charm that makes each of these songs sparkle. And with an album of such class and enamour, Bradley's reign as International Bluegrass Music Association female vocalist of the year is secured. Production wise, this is another winner. Treated with complimentary understated backings that beautifully enhance rather than obscure Bradley's singing, this will bring rapt support from both the bluegrass and traditional country fans. Such brilliance can only come from the expertise of producer, banjoist and record company owner Alison Brown. And thanks to Brown's capacious influence, the best of Nashville's session players have been enlisted including Stuart Duncan, Claire Lynch and even Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent.

Album opener and title cut, "Don't Turn Your Back" sets the lyrical pace for the album. An ode to start all over again, "Don't Turn Your Back" bops with a breezy rhythm with that added glaze of optimism. Taking a stab at the rich who are too much of a snob to share their wealth, Bradley on Hoyt Axton's "Rusty Old Halo" does it with wit without surrendering an ounce of its moral force. Without any prior knowledge, you wouldn't know "Over My Head" was a Fleetwood Mac original. Bradley has given this rock classic such a make-over that it sits comfortably among the other more rustic covers. "Ghost Bound Train," on the other hand, is your typical lightning speed bluegrass stomp.

Among the ballads, the best of them is the maternal ballad "Will I Be Good Enough" where Bradley gives voice to the feelings of inadequacies as they hold their new babies in their arms. Bradley's rendering is breathtakingly sweet without sounding mawkish. Dealing with the theme of the broken dreams of a musician, "Music City Queen," a Bradley co-write with Bradley is average without being heart rendering. Much better is the often overlooked Carter Family's "50 Miles of Elbow Room." With lines as picturesque as "For the gates are wide on the other side/Where the fairest flowers bloom/On the right hand and on the left hand/Fifty miles of elbow room," we are in for a free ride into heaven without even leaving our chairs. Most cutting edge and perhaps with the greatest potential for success on country radio is Bradley's take of Patty Loveless' "The Last Thing on My Mind." Though Bradley doesn't have the soulful grit of Loveless, it's still a compelling "I can't forget him" ballad.

In sum, Bradley is to be congratulated for not staying within the confines of a genre of songs. Her ability to tackle both Fleetwood Mac and the Carter Family shows her fearless diversity. Nevertheless, this "backwoods holler" (as she calls herself) doesn't just lip sync, she re-interprets each song, deconstructs them, and then makes them her very own to sing about. This is what a true artist is about--and Bradley's the role model.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fine, mellow modern bluegrass, May 20, 2009

By 

DJ Joe Sixpack (...in Middle America) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Don't Turn Your Back (Audio CD)

Dale Ann Bradley is one of the rocks of contemporary bluegrass -- she's a reliably satisfying, comforting presence, with a sweet, sincere voice, solid musicianship and impeccable taste in song selection. This is another fine album, with material from a wide range of sources, ranging from Carter Family gospel to rock cover tunes (Tom Petty's "Won't Back Down" and "Over My Head" by Fleetwood Mac are two pleasant surprises) and a slew of songs from divergent sources. Songwriter Louisa Branscomb's "Will I Be Good Enough," is a sentimental but effective song about the self-doubts and hidden rewards of parenthood. Two of the best tracks are Bradley originals, her adaptation of the traditional tune "Blue Eyed Boy" and "Music City Queen," which closes the album on a sweet, nostalgic note. Good, low-key contemporary truegrass; Bradley and her crew keep things pretty down to earth here -- definitely worth checking out. (DJ Joe Sixpack, Slipcue Guide To Country Music)

5.0 out of 5 stars "Don't Turn Your Back" on Dale Ann Bradley, September 30, 2009

By 

C. H. Stone ""dj man" (Plattsburgh, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Don't Turn Your Back (Audio CD)

Bluegrass fans have to buy this album. It is possibly her best and one which will strike a chord with all who take the time to listen. I'm male and yet her song of her concerns about childraising ("Will I Be Good Enough") had me remembering my days of parenting and the fears I had as I watched those precious gifts grow up. Her rendition of "Heaven" is so beautifully arranged I found myself going back again and again for the harmonies in the bridge. In fact, "Don't Turn Your Back" is 'most-played' at my house currently (and in my car.) I found this album because I knew of Dale Ann's work and went looking for latest product. Do yourself a favor and try this album and you'll find yourself wondering what else she's done and then discover not only her solo work but her work with "The New Coon Creek Girls." WoW! I wish I had this body of work to discover all over again.