Connie Dover has too much talent and taste to do a mediocre recording, but even by the high standards of her previous efforts, The Border of Heaven is an impressive achievement. This thematic CD traces the movement of the Anglo-Celtic immigrants from England, Scotland, and Ireland to the American West. Part of the legacy of that great historical odyssey was a body of extraordinary songs adapted from Old Country originals. Nowhere is the link so explicitly underscored as in Dover and cowboy singer Skip Gorman's brilliant medley linking "The Streets of the Laredo" to the ballad in its original form, "The Sailor Cut Down in His Prime." In a recording of such excellence and artistic consistency, it's hard to single out one song or performance as better than any other. She does a particularly masterly reading, however, of "Lord Franklin," concerning Sir John Franklin and his doomed 19th-Century search for the Northwest Passage. Till now, the definitive reading of this lovely, sad ballad has been John Renbourn's, but Dover may have surpassed it. Her rewriting of the Alabama folk song "I Am Going to the West" is another standout. (The finest purely traditional version can be heard on Mike Seeger's Third Annual Farewell Reunion, on Rounder.) She also reminds us that "Sweet Betsy from Pike" is a much more interesting song than we knew when we were singing it in grade school. Perhaps the only not wholly inspired choice here is over-recorded "The Water Is Wide." Even so, with The Border of Heaven, Connie Dover steps into the front ranks of American folk singers.
I've been a fan of all her albums, but this is the first time I would use the word "brilliant". To me, this album was my first glimpse at just HOW much inner beauty this artist possesses. I'd known about her lush, textured voice. I'd known about her polished, sophisticated style. I could have told you she was talented and worth hearing. But to me, this album is a stretch to a whole new level. The songs Last Night by the River and Wondrous Love are nothing short of powerful. Powerful in that immortal sort of way - songs that are so important that it's worth buying a dozen albums in search of them. Exquisite!
5つ星のうち5.0Beautiful, relaxing with a voice of an Angel
2015年6月3日にアメリカ合衆国でレビュー済み
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Love Connie. Met her a few times in Weston, MO. She is sweet, charming and sings like an Angel. I caught her at a pub where she got on stage and her voice is just incredible. Her CDs are nothing short of beautiful.