Karen Dalton - Green Rocky Road

More early 60s recordings from the other queen of folk

The fascination with Karen Dalton continues to rise and, with her two albums proper having been out for a few years now, the archives begin to fill in the gaps.

Last year’s Cotton Eyed Joe was a coffee house recording from 1962, nine years before Dalton’s excellent In My Own Time, and a wonderfully intimate document of the hugely influential folk singer’s folk singer. From the same source (Boulder, Colorado club owner Joe Loop), Green Rocky Road purports to reveal what a 1963 Karen Dalton album would have sounded like. So, if murky, with a few drop-outs and partially inaudible vocals are your thing, then this would have been an instant classic. Unfortunately, however, the palpable level of intimacy and reverence that made Cotton Eye Joe such a touching listen isn’t here. Primitive recording hasn’t done this one any favours, but it’s also true that this is really Dalton, sometimes with husband Richard Tucker, testing herself out without any thought to polish. In many cases this can be manna to collectors, but Dalton really is just finding her voice here, and perhaps needed an audience to come alive at this time. Album closer In The Evening hints at the future, but this is largely for the devoted.

Megaphone | tbc

Reviewed by Jason Draper
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