Karen Dalton: In My Own Time

Karen Dalton was unique. No one before and few after have been able to integrate jazz inflections into a roots context so completely. Her vocals possess a trumpet-like timbre that remind me of Chet Baker’s solos. Her phrasing, sometimes behind and sometimes ahead of the beat, adds musical tension to her performances. But anyone who’s heard the original version of In My Own Time knows all this. Limited to only 2000 copies, Light in the Attic’s “super deluxe” package contains the original album cut at 45rpm on 180-gram vinyl and spread onto three sides, with outtakes on the fourth. The deluxe edition also has a 20-page booklet, two bonus 7-inch singles, the 12-inch 45rpm EP Live at the Montreux Golden Rose Pop Festival 1971, a replica playbill from Montreux, a CD of all tracks, and two posters. The album and outtake tracks are also available via Qobuz and Tidal. If you are a completist and a fan you will undoubtably want a copy of this deluxe edition, which stands as the ultimate representation of Dalton’s best work. A labor of love, Light in the Attic Record’s lavish production makes a strong case for just how serendipitously special In My Own Time was.