Search - Allison Moorer :: Duel

One of the Best Albums by a Female Vocalist in 2004

Birdman | Minnetonka, MN USA | 06/09/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought a copy of this album late on the day my daughter was admitted to an intensive care unit for respiratory failure. I first played it late in the evening of that terrible day, and if I've ever felt more comfort from an album, I don't know what it would be.



Allison Moorer has a voice that's a little like Wynona Judd without the candy. It is a deep, resonant alto with huge dynamic range. The songs she writes and those she covers on this fine disc are performed with such conviction, it's breathtaking. Here and there, one of her lyrics fall flat, but so what? Her performance here is incredibly honest and polished. If you understand songs that address loss and redemption, you'll love this.



The lyrics are grim at times but so is life, and when the album ends, her final cut, which one reviewer here disliked, sounds like an aural sunrise to me. There is hope here, and its a big reason why the album works.



While I usually discuss recordings song-by-song, I won't attempt to do it, because the whole here is greater than the sum of its parts. Moorer's producer and Rounder Records have done an ear-opening job of recreating a late sixties-era sound -- like Neil Young's classic EVERYBODY KNOWS THIS IS NOWHERE. The opening cut smacks a little of DOWN BY THE RIVER, but it won't put you off.



Would I have preferred a more generous recording, say: more than 45 minutes? Sure. But except for this issue, I absolutely love the courage and conviction of these songs and the heroic sound of moorer's voice. As far as staying power, I am 52 years old and rarely replay albums as often as I have replayed this one. It sounds fresh after ten spins.



Soul is a word that starts with R&B and expands in concentric circles to include other forms of music. Ms. Moorer has created her own form. It is neither rock nor folk nor country, but it goes straight to the bone.



If you love Neil Young, Townes Van Zandt, Tom Waits and especially Lucinda Williams, you will love this recording. For those who didn't know, Allison Moorer has arrived at last. To say that her performance here exceeds anything her sister Shelby Lynne has done would not be fair, but in her own way, she has done it and deserves all the notoriety she can get along the way.



Strongly recommended. If this one isn't named a classic this year, write back and yell at me."

The Duel

Jake Z | Canada | 06/30/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When Allison Moorer came onto the music scene in 1998, with her major label debut ALABAMA SONG on MCA, she sang a soulful kind of country music that was all her own. Now in 2004, she released her 4th studio album on the independant label Sugar Hill. The sound has evolved a bit from the country sound, to a more rock edged sound that is evident throughout, especially the opening track "I Ain't Giving Up On You". Moorer is a confident songwriter, and a darn good one at that. Not only for lyrical reasons, but she knows how to write a catchy hook. Look no further than the song "Melancholy Polly". There's still some country elements, but with THE DUEL it sounds like Allison Moorer is more and more coming into her own sound, constantly evolving. Other highlights include the title track, "One On the House", "Believe You Me", and "All Aboard"."

Allison At The Top Of Her Game

Erik North | San Gabriel, CA USA | 05/21/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Having received virtually no joy from country radio to date, Allison Moorer not only took leave of the big labels for the rootsier confines of Sugar Hill Records, but she also took a harder approach to her music with her new release THE DUEL. A huge rock influence pervades this entire album, as does a new sophistication to her songwriting, albeit an arguably cynical and dark tone.Allison hasn't completely forsaken her country roots as can be demonstrated on the steel-laden "One On The House", though even here the feel of the song is closer to James Taylor's "Bartender's Blues" than to any of today's standard-issue Nashville drinking songs. It helps that Allison's smoky R&B-influenced voice is as good as it is. Probably as gutsy a song as she could have ever written is the sardonic "All Aboard", which takes an underhanded swipe at the rampant far right-wing post-9/11 jingoism, even utilizing some of the right's own language ("and if you don't love it, you can leave") only to throw it back on them. Doubtless that this means Allison will get even less airplay at country radio now than the minuscule airplay she's gotten in the past, but it seems like she's gone past the point of caring there.Those two cuts go along with nine other fine examples of Allison's merging of alternative country with R&B-influenced classic rock and show conclusively that there's a lot more to her than being Kid Rock's first sidekick on "Picture" or the kid sister to Shelby Lynne. THE DUEL is an album that demands to be taken seriously, as does Allison herself."