Customer Reviews

Surrender Dorothy

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Alana Davis is one of the rare artists that have managed to bridge the gap between folk and soul without faltering. Ever since her striking debut, Blame It On Me, Davis has conjured up a mixture unlike any other. The beats are heavy on acoustic, yet never denying its deep-rooted soul. The New York native created a mold that is somewhere between Bill Withers and Jewel, without being as oblique as Tracy Chapman.
But as with many artist who dare to create a template all their own, the likelihood of maintaining a long career is cut down. Consider Ben Harper and Maxwell, they have delivered new sounds yet are pigeonholed into somewhat of a novelty cliché. Remember how Erykah Badu was titled the Miss Cleo of hip hop?
After Elektra records decided to disregard earthier tones to big beats, tossing the careers of both Davis and Chapman out of the window, many artists started grasping how unpredictable the music industry is.
Davis started her own record company named Tigress Records, under which she released this album. Following the footsteps of the woman who gave her her first hit "32 Flavors."
With Surrender Dorothy being her first record post-emancipation we notice a more relaxed and organic Alana Davis, even more so than her debut.
The album does not have evident radio-hits like "I Want You" or "Crazy," but it does have grabby tunes like "The Letter" and the touching "Right There."
Here Davis concentrates on making a record more sonically flowing than anything else. Even the cover version of Bob Marley's "Nice Time" is safely tucked away as the last bonus track.
Then there are more rock influenced ditties like "The Benefit," which gives the record an edge without straying too far away. "Vision" is an ode to life without direction, yet with a goal.
On the other hand, there are the low-tempo tunes that compose Davis an amazing talent shying away from the Joss Stone tactics of American Idol-esque aerobics.
This time, Davis delivers sincere emotion with subtlety on "Stay" and the earnest "Right Here."
"Jaded (Goodbye)" is another track that deals with lost love almost with barefaced stance. While the standout award goes to "Desert Rose (Higher Than A Lover)," which rises with a subdued yearning.
Davis is an example of how faulty the music biz is. This fruitful young talent that has had every door shut at her face for refusing to comply to hype standards. Do yourself a favor and pick one of her albums up while she is still subsiding as an under-publicized indie.

I think this very fine album by Alana Davis might just be a selling point for satellite radio. I got a new car about a month ago, and, included at no charge for the first three months, is satellite radio. I never heard of Alana Davis until I heard the song Create from Surrender Dorothy on one of the satellite radio stations, and liked her immediately. We all know how annoying it can be to hear a song you like on the radio and then the announcer doesn't say who it was. Well on satellite radio, for those unfamiliar with it, the name of the artist and song show up on the screen, or at least, that's how it works on mine. I wanted to hear more, listened to a couple of samples on Ammy, and bought the CD.

Her music is a little different than most, I think. I hear some soul, folk/rock, a little funk at times, even a touch of jazz-like chords, occasionally. The guitar accompaniment is terrific and I like what she does with her voice, which has a fairly unique sound. Her music does remind me just a bit of Ani DiFranco, but it's really her own sound and style, and is a bit hard to categorize.

I've only listened to the album a time or two, but I haven't found a song I don't like. All songs are written by Alana Davis, with the exception of The Reaper, which is done very nicely, and a bonus track, Nice Time, written by Bob Marley. Other favorites include Letter, The Benefit, which is a real rocker, Create-- the best song on the CD in my view -- Wide Open, Jaded and Stay. A criticism of the CD might be that many of the songs sound somewhat similar. However, I like that sound very much, so I guess that's not all bad.

This artist is brand new to me and I like her a lot.

On this, her third release, Alana Davis shows she's lost none of the abilities that so richly defined her first two albums, "Blame It On Me," and "Fortune Cookies." Like those other albums, "Surrender Dorothy," insists on repeated listenings, its that good. It's more of an electric album, more guitar-dominated than those earlier, equally impressive, outgings. If one listens to the 11 cuts and doesn't feel changed they either have no heart or no soul. Both are in equal evidence on this masterwork. It could be said that Davis could sing the phone book and it would be a good song, however, she comes up with material that suits a voice that defies description. Each song contains the trademarks many have come to expect from the singer-songwriter. The lyrics grab your attention on first listen and on repeated hearings you bear witness to a soul revealing secrets from the deep. Davis has assembled a top-notch in band on this album and each song is better for it, particularly "Vision," "Wide Open," and "Right There." In the case of "Vision," Davis experiments with chord progressions that are more at home in a jazz framework and makes them her own. On the surface, "The Reaper," the Blue Oyster Cult classic from nearly 30-years ago may seem a strange choice, but as has always been the case, Davis makes this her own. Nowhere is Davis' impassioned singing more in evidence than on "Jaded(Goodbye)." Its a song that's as much heartbreaking as heartwarming as Davis uses her unique voice to perfection. And while "Surrender Dorothy" may seem a strange title for this body of work, it comes from the same source that gave us the phrase "hearts will never be practical until they can be made unbreakable." That line would be an appropriate one to think of while listening to this jem.

Surrender Dorothy is the kind of cd that you can take home, play, and suddenly realize that all music sounds suddenly different. Like someone came down and added a few drops of loveliness to your ears and handed you the rose-colored glasses you always wanted to wear.
A must-have no matter what kind of music you are into.

From the first cd - Blame it on Me - it should have been clear to everyone - this woman IS talent. This is great from the first track on. There are a few new sounds, but nothing to be afraid of. If you have enjoyed her music on other CDs you will have just as much love for this one. A songwriter, performer and musician growing into her talent. "come on baby.. don't fear..."

Surrender Dorothy is a very good must hear. Alana's cover of "The Reaper" is an unusual choice that ends up working well into the album. It was a track I often place on repeat. "Wide Open" is another strong cut the emphasizes Alans'a talent for writing and utilizing her voice to come across to her listeners.

After a funky split with Elektra, Alana has come back full force with an album full of integrity and soul. She's gotten away from some of the synthesized sounds on her last album and gone mostly acoustic for Surrender Dorothy. The new album showcases her sultry voice with great new songs that haven't been touched by industrial interests. The song Right There will make you want to call your best friend and Letter will make you smile. Her version of The Reaper (originally by Blue Oyster Cult) had me setting the repeat button on my stereo. Those of you who were a little disappointed by Fortune Cookies (including myself) will find redemption in Surrender Dorothy. Congratulations Alana on a comeback well done.

Two requirements I've found necessary for listening to Alana Davis' new record 'Surrender Dorothy' are play it loud and play it plenty. More than just a collection of nice grooves, these songs take shape with subsequent spins and reveal some of her strongest material to date.

The first half of 'Surrender Dorothy' is particularly good, with the gritty 'The Benefit', as well as 'Create', 'Vision' and 'Wide Open' all working up into delicious grooves and containing memorable hooks. Alana takes it down a notch for 'Right There', a pretty, spacious ballad with some nice pedal steel guitar flourishes, in subject matter it's almost an update on the classic soul song 'I'll Be There'.

The second half is slightly weaker, and some fans might scratch their heads at the inclusion of 'The Reaper', a Blue Oyster Cult cover, but it actually suits Alana's voice well and provides a bit of lift to this end of the album. Even on the lesser songs her voice remains great throughout, and there are some sublime moments when she breaks out into something really special - the vocal swoops in the bridge of 'The Benefit' for instance.

'Surrender Dorothy' is well worthwhile, and will win over more people than it loses.

Ok, my girl bought this cd last week so I have been forced to hear it over and over and over and over...Ok I know, you get it. Anyhow, I have found myself addicted to her voice, her guitar, her sound... WOW! She's totally not my style (I'm an Insane Clown Posse boy) but, I gotta' hand it to her she's good. Really good.

Davis really shines here. Her first two records were commendable in their artistic integrity, production values and market risks, but this record really nails down what she does well: sings.

The arrangements are stellar, and the layers and twists really showcase her composition skills. Her singing is rugged and compelling, and if the lyrical content is any indication, this is clearly her "Sade" record: somebody must have broken her heart and the listeners get to benefit from the raw emotion that shines through from her experiences. She channels all of her previous potential, influences and the freedom that running her own label affords, and comes out with a stellar record.