Song Dog Records, CD only, 2006
On rare occasion I will divert from my avowed dedication to vinyl reproduction to hold forth concerning an album that is only available in a CD format. When I feel compelled to do so it is because the music involved is especially worthy of recommending. This album is certainly an example of that.
Lacy J. Dalton had a very successful career as a country singer beginning with her debut release in 1978. She had several country hits in the 1980s and won many awards. Then, coming into the current century, her music veered off into more independent directions, and I must suggest that ‘Americana’ is the only label that is appropriate for it.
I regard this CD as her magnum opus, a work that succeeds on many levels. It has intelligent and meaningful songs, heartfelt vocals, great musicians, excellent (though not quite stellar) production, and other virtues that blend into a winning appeal to both the heart and the head. The result is nothing less than captivating – especially when experienced on a decent audio system.
From the purposeful opening notes of “Listen to the Wind” it is obvious that this is something special. Many of the songs, most of the which were written or co-written by Dalton, relate to her affinity for nature and wilderness and getting away from the daily cares and stresses of modern life. The title cut, “The Last Wild Place,” is a crafted, enchanting song with the refrain:
“You say you’re feeling burned out, you could use a little space
Come on in you restless heart, to the last wild place.”
“Old Dog Blue” and “She Could Run” are songs of tribute to a dog and a horse, evoking Dalton’s love of animals. In “The Alaska Song” she sings about journeying to that northern state where:
“I’m gonna have myself some fun... I will dance in the midnight, prance in the midnight, under the midnight sun.”
The song “The Wanders” does not fit the theme of nature but is intriguing nonetheless – a song of science fiction, about a race of space-faring beings that travel from star to star, with a refrain highlighted by a haunting “alien” (aeolian?) pipe. I could go on – there are many wonderful songs on this album.
An earlier but lesser version of LWPA was released in 2004, titled only The Last Wild Place. You do NOT want that version. It ain’t bad, but the Anthology version adds 5 songs to the previous line-up, all of them excellent versions of some of Lacy’s better-known songs from earlier in her career (Also, I suspect that the Anthology version was remastered for somewhat better sound, though I cannot swear to that). The versions in Anthology of the songs “Black Coffee” and “16th Avenue” are just about worth the price of admission in and of themselves.
I have to give this album – even though it is not available in vinyl! – my highest recommendation. It’s one of my personal “desert island” picks for sure.
As I prepared this review I discovered that Dalton released a “new” album last March titled Listen to the Wind, a 10-song collection only available via streaming. Seven of the 10 songs, including the title cut, are taken from the Anthology album. While the 7 are indeed good songs, the Anthology CD has 17 songs, so...