In My Own Time - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
The late Karen Dalton has been the muse for countless folk rock geniuses, from Bob Dylan to Devendra Banhart, from Lucinda Williams to Joanna Newsom. Legendary singer Lacy J. Dalton actually adopted her hero s surname as her own when she started her career in country music. Karen Dalton had that affect on people - her timeless, aching, blues-soaked, Native American spirit inspired both Dylan & The Band s 'Katie s Been Gone' (on The Basement Tapes) and Nick Cave s 'When I First Came To Town' (from Henry s Dream). Recorded over a six month period in 1970/71 at Bearsville, In My Own Time was Dalton s only fully planned and realized studio album. The material was carefully selected and crafted for her by producer/musician Harvey Brooks, the Renaissance man of rock-jazz who played bass on Dylan s Highway 61 Revisited and Miles Bitches Brew. It features ten songs that reflected Dalton s incredible ability to break just about anybody s heart - from her spectral evocation of Joe Tate s 'One Night of Love', to the dark tragedy of the traditional 'Katie Cruel'. Known as a great interpreter of choice material, Dalton could master both country and soul genres with hauntingly pining covers of George Jones 'Take Me' and Holland-Dozier Holland s 'How Sweet It Is'.

Album Description
The late Karen Dalton has been the muse for countless folk rock geniuses, from Bob Dylan to Devendra Banhart, from Lucinda Williams to Joanna Newsom. Legendary singer Lacy J. Dalton actually adopted her hero's surname as her own when she started her career in country music. Karen Dalton had that affect on people - her timeless, aching, blues-soaked, Native American spirit inspired both Dylan & The Band's 'Katie's Been Gone' (on The Basement Tapes) and Nick Cave's 'When I First Came To Town' (from Henry's Dream). Recorded over a six month period in 1970/71 at Bearsville, In My Own Time was Dalton's only fully planned and realized studio album. The material was carefully selected and crafted for her by producer/musician Harvey Brooks, the Renaissance man of rock-jazz who played bass on Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited and Miles' Bitches Brew. It features ten songs that reflected Dalton's incredible ability to break just about anybody's heart - from her spectral evocation of Joe Tate's 'One Night of Love', to the dark tragedy of the traditional 'Katie Cruel'. Known as a great interpreter of choice material, Dalton could master both country and soul genres with hauntingly pining covers of George Jones' 'Take Me' and Holland-Dozier Holland's 'How Sweet It Is'.

Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Don't wait--buy this album now! November 20, 2006
26 out of 29 found this review helpful

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.

4 out of 5 stars

Good Record - Historically Significant February 23, 2007
7 out of 10 found this review helpful

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.

3 out of 5 stars

Not the right setting for this diamond... September 29, 2007
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

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.

5 out of 5 stars

AT LONG LAST January 14, 2007
4 out of 5 found this review helpful

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.

5 out of 5 stars

Great singer May 26, 2007
4 out of 5 found this review helpful

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.

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