Lacy J. Dalton -- see artist profile

Dale Daniel "Luck Of Our Own" (BNA, 1994)
(Produced by Jerry Crutchfield)
The lone solo album from this modest Nashville songbird... It's fairly generic early-'90s Nashville fare, with an okay bouncy, uptempo opening track, "In The Middle Of A Miracle," and then a bunch of less vigorous stuff, much of which has tinkly, thin-sounding production that sounds like leftovers from the 'Eighties. She's an okay singer, I guess, but doesn't make much of an impression. Strangely enough, the Nashville establishment seems to have agreed: not a single track on here got the least bit of traction in the Billboard charts... That's harsh! I mean, she kinda sounds like everybody else, so she must have had some major strikes against her to get so little love from the hitmakers... Wonder what the deal was... (?)

Helen Darling "Helen Darling" (MCA-Decca, 1995)

The Daughters Of American Bluegrass "The Daughters Of American Bluegrass" (CMH, 2004)

The Daughters Of Bluegrass "Back To The Well" (Blue Circle, 2006)

The Daughters Of Bluegrass "Bluegrass Bouquet" (Blue Circle, 2009)
(Produced by Dixie Hall, Paula Wolak & Frances Mooney)
When they say "daughters of bluegrass," they really mean "daughters of bluegrass": this disc features contributions from dozens of female artists, including folks like Carol Lee Cooper (daughter of Wilma Lee Cooper), Lisa Martin (Jimmy's daughter), Jeanie Stanley (Carter's "baby girl") and Sonya and Becky Isaacs, of the Isaacs family band... Along with a slew of other female picker, plunkers and harmonizers, including well-known artists and newcomers such as Tina Adair, Dale Ann Bradley, Becky Buller, Sierra Hull, Alecia Nugent and many more whose names are less familiar; Rhonda Vincent, who gets a teasing shout-out as a big star with a tour bus to travel in, also pitches in. It's a big helping of talent, with many faces that are doubtless familiar to folks who frequent the festivals and hang out at informal jam sessions. The project is the brainchild of Dixie and Tom T. Hall, who also wrote or co-wrote all of the songs on here, so if you're a bluegrass fan searching for new, original material, this disc is a much-welcome treasure trove as well. Good spirits, fine picking and fuzzy nostalgia mix together quite nicely here... It's a sweet humble, down-to-earth album that reflects the DIY culture of the modern bluegrass scene... Nice!

Dave & Sugar "Anthology" (Renaissance, 1999)
This is perhaps the best possible collecton of this sometimes-scary sunshine country version of the ugly-guy-flanked-by-two-glitzy-gals showbiz model set by Tony Orlando & Dawn. This trio originally worked as Charley Pride's backup singers, then in 1976 they set out on a solo career. I suspect that main man Dave Rowlands must have been a hard boss to work for -- the booklet for this CD shows pictures of him with over a half dozen different lineups of the "Sugar" backup singers, one doomed set of feathered, sequined, boa-ed, tube-topped anorexics after another. This 23-song best-of includes material from all the albums D&S released in the late 1970s (although it skips early '80s outings such as Rowland's snarkily-titled "solo" album, Sugar Free, from 1982). The music is pretty over-the-top, a glossy collision of perky pop-country and dancefloor disco production ideas. The vocals vary -- Rowland himself is pretty leaden, but mixes nicely into the group sound; one of the gals did a great Linda Ronstadt imitation, others sounded nearly tone-deaf. In "hick" terms, this is mostly way too pop, more useful now as a historical reminder of Nashville's excesses in the '70s than as memorable country music. There are a few exceptions, such as "Golden Tears" and "The Door Is Always Open," but mostly this stuff just ain't twangy enuf.

Gail Davies -- see artist profile

Linda Davis "In A Different Light" (Liberty, 1991)

Linda Davis "Linda Davis" (Liberty, 1992)

Linda Davis "Shoot For The Moon" (Arista Nashville, 1994)

Linda Davis "Some Things Are Meant To Be" (Arista Nashville, 1996)

Linda Davis "Family Christmas" (Center Hill, 2003)
Davis, along with her husband, Lang Scott and their daughter Hillary, ring in the holidays with a set of standards... (Available through her website, www.lindadavis.com)

Linda Davis "I Have Arrived" (Center Hill, 2004)

Linda Davis "Young At Heart" (Center Hill, 2007)

Linda Davis "I'm Yours" (Dreamworks, 1998)
(Various producers)
This best-of retrospective spans back to Davis's early singles on Capitol and Arista, and includes a few new tunes, for good measure. It's all very Reba-delic, from the tortured, exaggerated twang to the monotonous obsession with girl-meets-boy romance. Still, she's okay on the upbeat numbers... At least she doesn't delve into the slow, drippy stuff as much as McEntire does; there's some syrup... just not as much. All in all, though, Davis is a pretty underwhelming performer. This is the disc to pick up if you want to check her out, but it didn't make a big impression on me...

Skeeter Davis - see artist discography

Stephanie Davis "Stephanie Davis" (Asylum, 1993)
A singer-songwriterish protege of Garth Brooks (she wrote his hits "The Gift" and "Wolves"), Davis hailed from Montana and made a mild splash as a songwriter before landing a brief major label contract as a performer in her own right... This album is probably too sedate for the average Top Country fan; indeed, the lone sinlge tanked out on the charts when was released, prompting Davis's retreat into critic's darling indie-artist status. But for those inclined towards the more contemplative end of things, Davis might make a fine compliment to, say, your old Nanci Griffith albums. Even includes a sweet spot of western swing right at the end there, to make sure we all know that this is a real country gal.

Stephanie Davis "I'm Pullin' Through" (Recluse, 1996)
A set of jazz-standards covers, underscoring the links between western swing and mainstream jazz...

Stephanie Davis "River Of No Return" (Recluse, 1996)

Stephanie Davis "Crocus In The Snow" (Recluse, 2003)

Stephanie Davis "Home For The Holidays" (Recluse, 2003)
A holiday album with standards and original material, including a duet with Ray Price...

Stephanie Davis "Western Bliss" (Recluse, 2009)

Stephanie Davis "Western Bling" (Recluse, 2009)

Jennifer Day "The Fun Of Your Love" (BNA, 2000)
Perky, upbeat country-pop. Pretty glossy, but not as weighed-down by would-be soul warbling as some of her Y2K Nashville contemporaries. It's okay, if you like the poppy stuff.

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Hick Music Index
Sisters Who Swung: Women In Jazz & Blues

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