Customer Reviews

In My Own Time

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Karen Dalton's second and final album, "In My Own Time," has finally been released on November 7th, 2006--35 years after it was cut on vinyl. Once you listen to it, you'll understand why this is an outrage.

Simply put, Dalton has one of the most complex, emotive voices I've ever heard. It's something about the way it comes out of her--the listener can hear at least three different timbres in Dalton's voice: from the whispered, muffled breath that gives the singer her inimitable languid time, to the aching, trebly brunt of her sound to a more hidden harmonic resonance that lingers behind every word, Dalton has one of the most unique styles I've ever had the pleasure of listening to.

The song choice is excellent--her unique way of singing, timing and phrasing completely transforms familiar tunes like "When a Man Loves a Woman" and Richard Manuel's "In A Station," and "How Sweet it Is" giving them entirely new meanings and making them Dalton's own. Every song is completely enchanting, and even though the chord structures and instrumentation are familiar, Dalton takes the music to a completely different place.

The backing instrumentation is great--Dylan's early bassist is along for the ride, the electric guitar is fluid, lively and interesting in its own right, and Dalton's banjo brings some cuts a dark, country feel, adding to the album's stylistic diversity.

This album is recommended for fans of folk, blues and jazz (yes, Dalton has been compared to Holliday, but she's in a register all her own), and anyone who appreciates a unique voice. Sure, it's laid back music, but if you let yourself get into the words and emotions, there's energy there that even the loudest music can't equal. Once you're hooked on Dalton's voice, check out her lesser classic, It's So Hard To Tell Who's Going To Love You The Best.

Please forgive the nay-saying, because I absolutely love Karen Dalton. I don't blame her for this misconceived effort, because it's clear that there was a production decision to give her the full Woodstock/LA 1970s pop funkmeister treatment. But one size most certainly does not fit all. The slick production doesn't work with her otherworldly voice. The production has a trivializing effect that taints about 3/4 of the tracks here, against which the sparser tracks like "Katie Cruel" and "Same Old Man" shine in comparison.

I don't think it's just hindsight that indicts this production; Joe Boyd produced records in the same era that (a) did the artists real justice, and (b) still hold up today. Sorry Harvey, but I wish we could have seen what Joe Boyd would do with Karen Dalton.

If you like Karen Dalton, go with her first album, "It's So Hard To Tell Who's Going To Love You The Best." Or cherry-pick the best cuts from this one and leave the desecration of "How Sweet It Is" for James Taylor.

Karen Dalton is a name that could have been forgotten. You hear about her a little in the Bob Dylan biographies. Then you would hear people like Nick Cave and Devendra Banhart talking about her. This is an amazing album. It first came out in 1971. It kind of reminds me when I was listening to a lot of Candi Staton a few years ago. Dalton has a great voice. Blues and gospel influence it. "Something On Your Mind" is just an amazing song. The chord changes are mind-blowing. Dalton also does a few songs that have been popularized by others, such as "When A Man Loves A Women" and "How Sweet It Is." She really puts her own stamp on them. She sings like a blues singer but the music is mostly like folk rock. "Katie Cruel" was a big influence on Nick Cave. The opening to "In A Station" is so great and evocative. The band sounds like it goes through ten different instruments. There is a great banjo sound on "Same Old Man." The song "One Night Of Love" sounds very modern. This is a great album of ten solid tunes. This is definitely a big deal.

I took a gamble and got this album on the strengh of the rave reviews and favourable comparisons to other acts I like. The artist is also recommended by one B.Dylan, a certain N.Cave and others. I have to say I am always wary of artist endorsements since I feel they will often be looking at some quality in the music as it relates to their own or may be just know the person.
My initial reaction as the first track hit me was WOW the gamble paid off, very different voice and a wonderul delivery, almost cracking with emotion on each note, one of the most amazing performances I've heard in quite some time.Unfortunately I would have to say only a few other tracks match it.
It perhaps isn't made clear elsewhere that there is no self-penned material on the album so track selection is crucial.Her voice doesn't suit all the songs chosen and the comparisons to Billy Holiday, whilst I can see certain similarities, are a little over-done.
This is NOT a slating;I do not regret buying the album as the best songs are well worth the purchase price, just don't expect "a great lost album" or you may be disappointed.
A final word on the packaging, while the music is paramount and such matters count for little if it is lacking, it must be said the CD is beautifully presented, the chunky cardboard sleeve comes with a substantial booklet featuring informative notes and some nice photos.

I have been waiting for years, nay decades for this long-lost album to be released on CD. This, the first of Karen Dalton's only two albums is, in my opion, the better of the two. Karen Dalton has a voice that demands to be heard for one of the most exotic aural experiences we have in the archives of pop music today. While I have been able to convince a few people that this is Lady Day singing, the arrangements just won't wash for such a deception the be successful for very long. This is a voice that sounds a lot like Billy Holiday, especially in her latter days, and the choice of material on this album and Dalton's rendition of it are an experience only the lucky few have had the pleasure of hearing. I doubt she ever will be well known enough to gain broad popular appeal, especially at this late date, but at least we don't have to search for the LP of this on Ebay anymore.

This album is a musical treasure. If you have never heard of Karen Dalton before, buy this and find out what you have missed. If you have heard of her, you don't need any advice from me.

First off, ignore the two, one star reviews below. Considering the reference to American Idol on the one, clearly these folks never bothered to listen to the samples to get any kind of sense of what this artist was about or what they were in for. No doubt Billie Holiday, of whom Karen Dalton is reminiscent, wouldn't make it on AI either and these two reviewers would find no value in her as well. No knock to them or AI, to each their own, it's just a different world and mindset. AI is looking for pop superstars within the context of what that means today. It has no bearing on the larger world of highly talented artists who are working other avenues with other aspirations. It's like saying foreign or independent films are bad when you were expecting a Hollywood formulaic blockbuster.

Listen to the samples - that's what they are there for. My review assumes you have at least done that and you are attracted to what you heard. From that perspective, what we have here is the second of her two albums and the only one with a full band. Although the band is quite appropriate for her and producer Harvey Brooks' intentions were honorable, it doesn't work nearly as well as her first album, "It's So Hard To Tell Who Is Going To Love You The Best." That first album is pretty much all Karen accompanying herself on acoustic without a band. The album lacks the arguably misguided attempts at contemporary (at that time) songs like How Sweet It Is and When A Man Loves A Woman, both of which are on this album, In My Own Time. It's not that she does a bad job with them, indeed, it is an admirable accomplishment to deliver contemporary, highly familiar pop songs in her own unique style and have it come across as a believable interpretation, which is what she does here. But it is simply that the setting and the song choices on her previous album are so much more natural to her. The band and arrangements aren't there to threaten the power of her vocalization - her delivery and phrasing, which show so such conviction and understanding of the material.

If you listen to her and you like her style, you will like them both. Perhaps it's simply a matter of personal preference, but for the reasons stated, the first album is more intimate and satisfying, which isn't to say that this one isn't, just a little less so.

I first bought this on vinyl in 1972. It was so unlike anything else I had ever heard, but it immediately became a favorite. Years passed, the record album long disappeared from my collection- turntable long ago sold or given away, I've been searching for this for years. I loved the addition of liner notes and photographs of Karen Dalton. As for the music, its even better than I remembered.

Whenever I put on Karen Dalton for friends, reactions are always strong. I've had people say, "Wow! Sounds like a Folksy, Billie Holliday!". Or: " Turn that crap off, sounds like a drunken cat in heat!"

Love or hate it, Karen Dalton's cracked, nasal voice never fails to make an impression. But I've always appreciated idiosyncratic voices. Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Neil Young & Nina Simone--- to name a few. Yet, like Elvis, Johnny Cash or Lady Day, one listen to Dalton & you know immediately who it is. No mistaking. To me that is a mark of a fine singer.

I think a strong case can made for singers these days favoring style over actually trying to communicate something to the listener. Which is something Dalton never fails to acheive. True, she's no Joni Mitchell in the songwriting department. Dalton was exclusively an interpreter of other people's songs, but bet she would've done a killer version of, "Case Of You".

Alot of Dalton fans seem to prefer her 1st album. Fact is, many find this to be a misstep in an all-too-brief career. Mixed bag that the album is, I genuinely prefer In My Own Time to Love You The Best. One reason is the fact that she's playing with a full band that keeps her from getting too languid or self indulgent.

For me the only missteps are 2 tracks: "When A Man Loves A Woman" & "How Sweet It Is". Both have been covered to death & smack of record company commercial pandering.

Without a doubt my very favorite Karen Dalton song is "Katie Cruel". Harrowing and desolate. Much of the same can be said for the haunting, "Same Old Man". As for the songs featuring more studio backing, "Something On Your Mind" is just pure sugar to these ears. "Take Me" never fails to stop me in my tracks. "Are You Ready For The Country" ends the album on a yearning note.

Ultimately, its up to your personal taste whether you like Dalton or not. To me her voice is as earthy as its ethereal. Despite her documented substance abuse problems, her obscurity cannot wholly be attributed to that. According to popular report, she was a notoriously reluctant performer. Furthermore, as evidenced by "Sweet It Is" & "Man Loves A Woman", her voice was never one that could be easily molded into the popular market. She was first & foremost a Folk singer.

My advice? Start with her 1st album & then let this one work its slow magic on you and see if you don't come to appreciate it more.

Karen Dalton is one of the very best singers in our country's brief history. I was fortunate enought to discover this record on the shelf of the local record store when it was released. Later I found out that she only ever made two recordings. She is such a brilliant talent. She made emotional, raw, heart rendering music. I have been anxiously awaiting the release of this cd for years.

I became aware of Karen Dalton through her association with Fred Neil, and purchased her first album "It's So Hard To Tell Who's Going To Love You The Best" because of quotes I read from Neil praising her talent. That album was sparse in terms of production, and featured only acoustic instruments in its minimal backing of Dalton's voice. It was also the result of the producer in a sense misleading Dalton into recording an album of her own at a Fred Neil recording session. "In My Own Time" was Dalton's second record, and was more of a planned effort at making an album. "In My Own Time" features some of the best session musicians of the period, and despite the complaints of some of the other reviewers does not sound overproduced to me. I should preface my praise of any of Dalton's recordings to include that Dalton's voice is an acquired taste, and after reading some of the negative comments about her vocals on this page, it is obviously not for everyone. Nick Cave goes so far as to acknowledge this in his excellent liner notes. (I for one cannot stand her versions of "When A Man Loves A Woman" and "How Sweet It Is" that are on this album, and skip them immediately when they come on.) However, the good outweighs the bad in this case, at least to my ears. Like Nick Cave, I found "Something On Your Mind" to be one of the most amazing vocals I have ever heard. Cave stated in his contribution to the liner notes that he has listened to this song many, many times over the years, and I have to confess that for the first year I owned this CD I barely made it past the first song because I put "Something On Your Mind" on repeat so many times. "Katie Cruel" is another devastating song: a very minimal arrangement with Dalton on banjo and vocals, and a haunting result. I also have to comment on Dalton's version of Richard Manuel's "In A Station", and how her voice absolutely soars at about the three minute mark, not a moment that occurred too often in her recorded work. It made me think what it must have been like to hear her sing live. I also loved hearing her sing with an electric rock/blues backing on tracks like "In My Own Dream" and "One Night Of Love". The melancholy tracks "Take Me", and "Are You Leaving For The Country" are both ones that I play repeatedly; I love the feeling she gave those songs. I have to also mention that the packaging for this disc is top notch: a booklet accompanying the CD contains many photos of Dalton, an essay on the making of the album written by Patti Smith's guitarist Lenny Kaye, as well as notes on Dalton's music from Nick Cave and a poem by Devendra Barnhart. This was the last album that Karen Dalton recorded in her life, and I'm glad it is available. Her sad life may have shaped her voice to be what it was. She was clearly not of her time.