It's Hard to Tell the Singer From the Song (CD - 1986)

Includes liner notes by Charles Wolfe.

Few singers in the last 30 years evoke the essence of bluegrass twang as does Hazel Dickens. And this platter from 1987 is one of her strongest, with a fine band backing her and a superior batch of songs. Listening to weepers like "A Few Old Memories" and "Do Memories Haunt You," it is clear just where a host of recent alt-country artists such as Freakwater and Sally Timms got their inspiration. ~ Tim Sheridan

It's Hard to Tell the Singer from the Song is a beautiful, emotionally raw album from start to finish. Throughout, Dickens creates a music that's traditional and timeless, while also having her feet firmly planted in the here and now. Traditional country songs like "California Cottonfields" clearly share an affinity for the working person, while Dylan's "Only a Hobo" reveals the sacredness of even the "lowliest" life. Dickens also enjoys singing feminist-tinged songs like "You'll Get No More of Me" and the anti-war anthem "Will Jesus Wash the Bloodstains From Your Hands?" Dickens seems to enjoy updating tradition, drawing from her West Virginia background while adding political touches usually absent from folk and country music. Part of the success of this project is that excellent musicians like Jerry Douglas, Russ Barenberg, and Blaine Sprouse offer tasteful support throughout. Dickens' voice also proves a perfect instrument to communicate the stark lyrics of songs like "Hills of Home." Her delivery has more in common with the Carter Family than contemporary bluegrass and country singing, and her old-time vocals add to the emotional impact of this material. Songs like "Hills of Home" and "A Few Old Memories" deal with the sense of loss that comes from leaving behind familiar places like a childhood home. "Play Us a Waltz" sketches a portrait from inside a nursing home, "where there's no one to love, and nothing to do." The characters that inhabit It's Hard to Tell the Singer From the Song long for a sense of place in the modern world and cry out for compassion and understanding. This is powerful album and a mature artistic statement. ~ Ronnie Lankford, Jr. minimize