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Karen Dalton

New documentary remembers the tragic life of folk singer Karen Dalton

Karen Dalton Carl Baron/courtesy of Greenwich Entertainment hide caption

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Carl Baron/courtesy of Greenwich Entertainment

Music Features

New documentary remembers the tragic life of folk singer Karen Dalton

Karen Dalton, an enigmatic artist beloved by colleagues Bob Dylan and Phil Ochs, and idolized by followers like Nick Cave and Courtney Barnett, is the subject of a new film.

New documentary remembers the tragic life of folk singer Karen Dalton

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Music Interviews

Karen Dalton: A Reluctant Voice, Rediscovered

She had a voice of striking, unusual beauty — and looks to match — yet she spent much of her life misunderstood and under-recorded. Now, 15 years after her death, the elusive folk singer's music has never been more popular.

Karen Dalton: A Reluctant Voice, Rediscovered

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Review

Song Of The Day

Karen Dalton: Blues from Beyond the Grave

Throughout "In the Evening," which Dalton would later record for her studio debut, she infuses a Leroy Carr song with bluesy, woozy weariness, drawing the sorrow out of every note. It's hard not to view the track through the prism of Dalton's haunted life.

'In the Evening' by Karen Dalton

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Review

Song Of The Day

Ruminations on Bridges Burned and Backs Turned

Karen Dalton's In My Own Time sounds nicely fleshed out in the studio, as it showcases the singer's ability to interpret standards amid lush arrangements. But it's no surprise that the set's crown jewel is also its most haunting track: "Katie Cruel," on which Dalton gives a traditional lament its definitive reading.

'Katie Cruel' by Karen Dalton

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