KAREN DALTON-IN MY OWN TIME.

dereksmusicblog ♦ August 6, 2011 ♦ 3 Comments

KAREN DALTON-IN MY OWN TIME.

Imagine Bob Dylan describes you as his favorite singer in his autobiography, and compares your voice to Billie Holliday, and your guitar playing like the legendary Jimmy Reed’s. That must be the ultimate accolade for any singer. You may be wondering who is this singer that Bob Dylan rates so highly. Probably if you were to guess a dozen times, you wouldn’t guess their name correctly. Karen Dalton is her name, a singer who was part of the Greenwich Village folk scene in the early 1960s. It was during this period that she met Bob Dylan, and on a couple of occasions sang with him. However, Karen Dalton was more than a folk singer, when she sang, the style varied from folk and country, to blues, soul and even pop. Back in the early 1960s’, things looked so promising for Karen Dalton, however, her life would end in tragic circumstances. During her career, she only released two albums, and it’s her album In My Own Time this article is about.

Karen Dalton was born Karen J. Cariker in July 1937, in Enid Oklahoma. Growing up, she learnt to play both the twelve string guitar and long neck banjo. She wasn’t just a talented musician, she was also blessed with a fantastic voice. By the early 1960s’ she had moved to New York, and was a mainstay of the Greenwich Village folk scene. Friends included Fred Neil, and she was associated with bands including the Holy Modal Rounders. It was in 1961 that she met Bob Dylan, and sang with him a few times. She must have made a huge impression on him, considering his later compliments about her. It wasn’t just Bob Dylan Karen Dalton made a big impression on. Later, Robbie Robertson and Richard Manuel reputedly wrote Katie’s Been Gone, a track on The Basement Tapes by The Band and Bob Dylan about Karen Dalton.

Unlike many artists, it took a while before Karen Dalton released her debut album. In 1969, she released her debut album It’s Hard To Tell Who’s Going To Love You the Best on Capitol Records. This album isn’t as well known as her follow up album In My Own Time, but features some wonderful songs. The album features songs by a number of artists. Two are written by her friend Fred Neil, Little Bit of Rain and Blues On the Ceiling. Another, How Did the Feeling Feel to You, is written by folk singer Tim Hardin. Two others, are blues songs, Sweet Substitute written by Jelly Roll Morton and Down On the Street (Don’t You Follow Me Down) written by Leadbelly. With such a diverse range of material, this allowed Karen to demonstrate how versatile her voice was. Sadly, although well received, the album wasn’t commercially successful.

Her second album In My Own Time, was recorded at the famous Bearsville Studios, in New York. This studio near Woodstock, has been used by some of the biggest names in music. Tim Buckley, The Band, R.E.M. and The Rolling Stones. During 1970 and 1971, Karen recorded her second album, which was released later in 1971. Like her debut album, it was an album of cover versions and traditional songs. The album was produced and arranged by Harvey Brooks. Brooks, who had previously played bass on Miles Davis’ brilliant album Bitches Brew, and Bob Dylan’s seminal album Highway 61 Revisited, also played bass on In My Own Time. Originally, the album was released on Just Sunshine records, a label owned by Michael Lang, the promoter of Woodstock. Again, the album was well received by critics, but failed to be a commercial success.

Sadly, that would be the final album Karen Dalton released in her lifetime. For many years, she was addicted to drugs and alcohol, and bravely fought her addictions valiantly. Tragically, in 1985, Karen contracted AIDS. In March 1993, Karen died after an eight year battle with AIDS. The circumstances of her death are disputed. It’s thought she either died in upstate New York, in the care of guitarist Peter Walker, or died on the streets of New York. Regardless, of where she died, her death was a tragedy, she was only fifty-five, and had been one of the most talented singers of her generation. After her death, two further albums were released. Cotton Eyed Joe in 2007, which was a live recording from 1962. Then in 2008, Green Rocky Road was released. For such a talented singer, it seems tragic that she only produced two albums during her career. However, they were two great albums, especially In My Own Time, which I’ll now tell you about.

In My Own Time opens with Something On Your Mind, a track that begins with bass and guitar playing, but a surprise awaits you when Karen sings. Her voice is so powerful, and has a totally unique sound. It has a world weary sound, as if she’s lived a thousand lives. Not only is it strong, but it’s really high, and crystalline clear. When you hear her voice, it enthrals you, you become transfixed by its sound and power. This is something that not many singers can do instantly. Behind Karen, the arrangement is a mixture of folk and country. A Steel guitar plays, guitars, fiddles and bass accompany her, drums can be heard playing quietly. Even though the arrangement is quite full, everything plays second fiddle to Karen and her powerful voice. Here, she sings the song beautifully, and the arrangement is perfect for the song.

As I said earlier, the songs on the album are a mixture of cover versions and traditional songs, and here, Karen’s cover of When A Man Loves A Woman, is very different to any previous version. She slows the song way down, and the arrangement is straight out of Nashville. Straight away, Karen’s vocal enters, and straight away, her voice is even more powerful than before. Here, she’s giving everything she has as she sings those familiar lyrics. This version is brilliant, the song suits being really slowed down. Another thing the song suits is the arrangement, which has a real country influence. This is apparent when you hear the guitars, especially the steel guitars, which seem to almost bleed as they play. Piano and drums are played spaciously and slowly, a brass section enters, adding to the drama that’s slowly building. Deep down in the mix Harvey Brooks’ bass can be heard his playing is slow, leaving space between each notes. Overall, the combination of Karen’s voice and the arrangement is stunning, this version brings new life to a song familiar to many.

When In My Own Dream begins, a piano plays, its sound is dull, dark and just a little moody. Then when Karen sings, suddenly, you think that you’re listening to Lady Day, the late, great, Billie Holiday. The similarity is amazing. By now, she has your attention, suddenly you’re transfixed, by this incredible voice. You find yourself thinking why wasn’t she a huge star? Slowly, the arrangement fills out, a steel guitar accompanies the ever present piano. However, Karen’s voice is stealing the show. Nothing even comes close. Neither the drums, piano nor the hugely charismatic guitar playing. In the end, Karen Dalton is the star of this brilliant track, her voice peerless.

Katie Cruel is a traditional song, one that Karen arranged herself. Here the arrangement is much simpler, it’s just Karen singing and playing her banjo, accompanied by a fiddle playing. This suits the song, especially the lyrics, which are prescient. In the song one of the lyrics about Katie Cruel, tell of her how through time, she begins to drink far too much. Sadly, the same happened to Karen in real life, and was an illness she fought bravely, for many years. Listening to Katie Cruel, one can almost imagine the character as someone living in the wild west, many years ago. It’s a song with a strong narrative, that allows you visualise the characters. Karen’s arrangement of this old song is really good, and likewise, her rendition of it, which is full of character, feeling and emotion.

The first time I ever heard this album, many years ago, I was stunned by the sheer quality of the songs on the album. None more so, than How Sweet It Is. Again, many artists have covered this song, but nobody has ever sung it like Karen Dalton. Straight away, you can hardly believe this is the same song. Unlike most versions, it bursts into life, drenched in the sounds of Nashville. From the start it swings along, Katie’s sings the song quicker, her voice sounds strong, clear and happy. Behind her the rest of the band provide backing vocals, giving the arrangement a lovely old fashioned sound. Likewise, the arrangement features the sounds you’d expect on something made in Nashville. It’s the combination of the guitar sound and the drums that’s responsible for this. Karen Dalton’s version of How Sweet It Is, is unique, possibly peerless and swings beautifully.

After the swinging How Sweet It Is, it’s a much more dramatic opening that greets the listener to In A Station. Like the previous track, Karen is in brilliant form, on this song that features from a fuller, more dramatic arrangement. This is apparent from the opening bars. A drum roll opens the track, a piano plays, the sound is dramatic even before Karen sings. When she sings, her voice is stronger than ever, as it soars high, her strength and power helping add to the dramatic arrangement around her. The drama is set by a combination of brilliant piano playing, augmented by drums filling out the sound and a Hammond organ laden with character. Its sound is one of the highlights of the arrangement, and is a sound you’ll never tire of hearing. In A Station is just the latest wonderful song on the album, but for me, is one of the album’s highlights.

Take Me is another track drenched in the country sound of Nashville. It’s also a song that allows Karen to demonstrate fully her wonderful voice, which here, sounds world weary, as if she’s all the troubles of the world on her shoulders. It’s piano, drums and steel guitar that open the track, a combination that sets the scene.  

The contrast between the piano and steel guitar is perfect, and the addition of Karen’s voice is a potent mixture. Here the tempo is slow, the playing spacious, allowing the music to breath. As Miles Davis said, sometimes the space between notes, is as important as the notes themselves. While the track meanders slowly along, an array of beautiful sounds emerge from your speakers, and the longer the track progresses, the better it gets. What could be better than the steel guitar played slowly? Later its joined by other guitars. Meanwhile, the piano plays, perfectly, drums steadily providing the track’s heartbeat. This is a sound that’s heart breakingly beautiful. Karen’s voice is stunningly soulful, as she sings about love, and longing for the day her lover will be hers. To me, this track is one of the best on the album, due to Karen’s voice and Harvey Brooks masterful arrangement.

Katie Cruel was the first of two the traditional songs on the album, the second being Same Old Man. There are similarities with Katie Cruel here, as Karen sings and plays banjo, and the arrangement is similarly simple. Apart from a droning noise which can be heard, it’s just Karen and her banjo. This isn’t an easy thing to do, as it requires a good voice and the utmost confidence. Karen was blessed with a great voice, and had the confidence to sing unaccompanied, and did so beautifully. Although it’s very different to most songs on the album, it shows another side of Karen, the side Bob Dylan probably encountered in Greenwich Village, back in the early sixties.

Every time I hear the start of the next track, One Night of Love, it reminds me of various songs, including a couple by Jackson Browne. It’s just the chord structure and combination of instruments. If you listen to the song, you too, will hear the similarities. The track begins with a combination of guitar, drums then piano. It’s the piano reverberating, that gives you a clue of what your about to hear. By now, the track’s beginning to open out, a steel guitar plays and the track starts to rock. However, this early promise is never fulfilled, and neither Karen or her band cut loose.  There is even a bluesy sound and feel to the piano. Unlike many previous songs, Karen’s voice isn’t quite as strong, but is still as clear and full of passion and character. My only quibble about the track is it ends too soon. I’ve always felt it could’ve been developed further, and the band given free reign to jam a little, considering how good a band they were. That’s just a minor point, as this is still a great track, and demonstrates Karen’s versatility, and ability to sing different styles of music.

In My Own Time closes with Are You Leaving For the Country. Again, it’s a very different song from the previous one. It’s slower, much more gentle, and features a lovely understated arrangement. For most of the track, it’s just Karen accompanied by acoustic guitars, and a bass occasionally making an appearance. Her voice is stronger than on the previous track, and her rendition of this song perfect. She doesn’t sing the song too loud, or too fast. Instead, she takes care, and produces a stunning version of the song, one that is a fitting way to end the album.

Before writing this article, I hadn’t listened to this album for a couple of months. Revisiting it, brought home just how talented a singer Karen Dalton was. Her voice is strong and powerful, and is suited to various styles of music. It has a world weary sound, and was totally unique. She sounded unlike any other of contemporaries, although sometimes, the similarities with Billie Holiday are uncanny. Although she didn’t write her own songs, the material she chose was perfectly suited to her voice. Some of the songs she chose, she sang unlike anyone before. Examples of this are When A Man Loves A Woman and How Sweet It Is, which she interprets brilliantly. It’s hard to choose the best songs on the album, as they’re all so good. What’s sad about the Karen Dalton story, is that this was the final album she released during her career. After that, very little was heard of Karen Dalton, and in 1983, she died tragically. Since her death, interest in her music has grown, and her two albums have been rereleased, and two further albums released. I find it really sad that her music wasn’t more popular during her lifetime, however, at long last, more people are discovering Karen Dalton and her wonderful music. Standout Tracks: When A Man Loves A Woman, In My Own Dream, In A Station and Take Me.

KAREN DALTON-IN MY OWN TIME.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_hOrdbQar4