Customer Reviews

Nobodys Sweetheart

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the first of Sandy Dillon's albums to be released in this, her own, country, but Sandy has been making music for a long time both here and in her adopted home in England. I'm fortunate to own all of Sandy's CDs ("Skating," "Electric Chair," and "East Overshoe"). This is her most accessible CD in terms of both marketing and music. The first cut, "Feel the Way I Do," is worth the price of the CD alone. The beauty and pain of this song, obviously written for her late husband and musical cohort Steve Bywater, is as real and as moving as popular music gets. Ray Majors' superlative guitar work that adds so much to Sandy's other recordings is again present on a number of the cuts on this effort. Listen to this CD and then go to www.amazon.co.uk and buy "Electric Chair" and "East Overshoe." Sandy Dillon may be "Nobody's Sweetheart," but she's one unique and talented songwriter, keyboard player, and singer.

Sandy Dillon is an exciting singer that I had never heard of. She seems like she is influenced by folk music and French pop. "Feel The Way I Do" sounds like Bob Dylan. "It Must Be Love" is a John Barry influenced tune that is very cinematic. Sandy Dillon's voice is very much like black soul singers like Candi Staton. There is also a Shirley Bassey vibe on a few tunes. That makes me believe that she is an English singer. This album covers a lot of techno and chill out territory. She samples Arthur Lee on one song. It's a pretty original album overall. This record reminds me of traveling across the United States. I did this twice. The last time I did this was in early 1996.

I am giving this album 4 stars not because I think this album is great, but because I love Sandy Dillon and she should be known in the US. Afterall, she is from the United States. This, in my opinion, is not her best work. The production with its beats and electronic sounds overshadows Sandy's raw emotional quality. There is a great live version of "Girl Like Me" on the internet without this kind of production. She is just playing a Mbira with minimal guitar accompaniment. It is excellent. She is best known for her whisky/Tom Waits bluesy screechy otherworldly voice. This album, although containing some great songs, is just too overproduced. It makes me want to hear this whole album stripped down. I bet it would be awesome. Anyway, try her two other albums "Electric Chair" and "East Overshoe" which I believe you can only get through amazon.uk or on her record label, One Little Indian's website. Check her out if you like something outside of the mainstream. You won't be disappointed.

A breathtaking album. Heartbreaking from the first chord. She is extraordinary. Buy it, so that there is another album for us to enjoy.