I was watching the Parallel Lines BBC4 show earlier tonight and Mike Chapman was talking about the distinctiveness of Debbie Harry's voice and how you would instantly know from the off that it was her singing. Sometimes, for me, with country and folk singers I find there are a lot of similiar sounding voices where it may not be obvious from the start who the singer is. No such problems with the instantly recognisable voice of Iris Dement. I had the joy of seeing Iris perform in Glasgow back in '93/'94 and just fell in love with her voice. She has a very unique singing style that may not be to everyone's taste but I could happily listen to her all day long...
Her first two albums, in particular, are full of beautiful, heartfelt songs where she literally bears her soul on record. There is an honesty and integrity in her songs that is rare to find these days. For me she sits up there with talents like Margo Timmins, Neko Case, Hope Sandoval and the wonderfully talented Mary Margaret O'Hara. A rare, unique talent that deserves to be far better known by the public at large. If you haven't heard her before you could do a lot worse that pick up a copy of Infamous Angel, her first and possibly best album. You will not be disappointed....
Let The Mystery Be
That's very good . Never heard of her before, worth further investigation.
ReplyDeleteYou can pick up a copy of Infamous Angel on the net for less than a fiver Drew, well worth getting along with the second album. Both really good albums...
ReplyDeleteI think she has a charming voice! A friend of mine recommended her at least a year ago, but I wasn't motivated to dig around. Thanks for the perfect introduction, Scott - I'll definitely seek out more of her music.
ReplyDeleteHi Marie, glad you enjoyed the track. Her voice is a bit of an acquired taste, charming does sum it up nicely..
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