Surrender Dorothy

Amazon.com
Alana Davis, bless her, is like Joss Stone without the pyrotechnics and pageantry. There is the voice--a pure thing, equal parts springtime-fair lovely and lived-in husky--and then there is the way she inhabits it. Instead of causing the listener to feel as if he should be sitting on a panel alongside a team of judges furiously scribbling down marks for her technical ability and overall performance, she might as well be sprawled on the next sofa edging away thoughts about what comes next on the day's agenda and subliminally suggesting it's bubble bath time. That's the vibe--free-flowing and just slightly trippy, with a lot of musical legroom--that defined 1998's Blame It on Me, her rave-winning debut, and it carries over to Surrender Dorothy with the same easy fluidity. Jazz, R&B, and blues elements, each gorgeously gauged, dart around her tell-it-like-it-is lyrics ("And you see when we're together/There's a pull we can't deny/I know that we may not be forever/But I feel like I could try," from "Wide Open"), and even the lyrics that don't belong to her, like Bob Marley's on "Nice Time," sound easily nudged into her ownership. That said, there's no getting around that "The Reaper," as in "Don't Fear the Reaper," the other cover here, was a weird choice. But take her hand anyway: If sophisticated, earthy pop moves you, Baby, she's your man. --Tammy La Gorce

Surrender Dorothy,Alana Davis,Tigress,Adult Alternative Pop/Rock,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop,Singer/Songwriter

Surrender Dorothy

Average customer rating:

Got me going!
Great CD
puh-leeze! Life is short.
Her best record to date
Amazing stuff.......again

Surrender Dorothy
Alana Davis
Manufacturer: Tigress
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Fortune Cookies
Blame It on Me
Small White Town
Suit Yourself
Carry On

ASIN: B00074CBOC
Release Date: 2005-02-22

Tracks:

The Letter
The Benefit
Create
Vision
Wide Open
Right There
Jaded (Goodbye)
Desert Rose (Higher Than A Lover)
Reaper
Stay
Nice Time

Amazon.com

Alana Davis, bless her, is like Joss Stone without the pyrotechnics and pageantry. There is the voice--a pure thing, equal parts springtime-fair lovely and lived-in husky--and then there is the way she inhabits it. Instead of causing the listener to feel as if he should be sitting on a panel alongside a team of judges furiously scribbling down marks for her technical ability and overall performance, she might as well be sprawled on the next sofa edging away thoughts about what comes next on the day's agenda and subliminally suggesting it's bubble bath time. That's the vibe--free-flowing and just slightly trippy, with a lot of musical legroom--that defined 1998's Blame It on Me, her rave-winning debut, and it carries over to Surrender Dorothy with the same easy fluidity. Jazz, R&B, and blues elements, each gorgeously gauged, dart around her tell-it-like-it-is lyrics ("And you see when we're together/There's a pull we can't deny/I know that we may not be forever/But I feel like I could try," from "Wide Open"), and even the lyrics that don't belong to her, like Bob Marley's on "Nice Time," sound easily nudged into her ownership. That said, there's no getting around that "The Reaper," as in "Don't Fear the Reaper," the other cover here, was a weird choice. But take her hand anyway: If sophisticated, earthy pop moves you, Baby, she's your man. --Tammy La Gorce

Customer Reviews:

Got me going!.......2007-01-05

This is an energetic and soulful cd!! Blame it on me was played to death in my house but recently replaced by Surrender Dorothy.It just rocks out on The Benifit and Create and smooths out with Desert Rose (my favorite)then The Reaper.Alanai s a one of a kind artist that seems to give it up to the universe .This cd is a must!!

Great CD.......2007-01-02

Like most all tracks, not my favorite album but still a worthy purchase :)

puh-leeze! Life is short........2006-01-21

Found Alana one morning in '98 when the alarm in Carmel, CA was Ms. Davis singing "love and pride". RUSHED out to nearest store to find music and had to wait WEEKS until I found disk in SF. Needlesstosay, "Blame it on Me" completely amazingly playable disc (Ani's "32 Flavors" cover a bonus)...

"Fortune Cookie" much less so,

"Surrender Dorothy" unplayable/embarrassed-for-her/what happened? after 1st listen. Am I just older now?

Her best record to date.......2005-10-15

Davis really shines here. Her first two records were commendable in their artistic integrity, production values and market risks, but this record really nails down what she does well: sings.

The arrangements are stellar, and the layers and twists really showcase her composition skills. Her singing is rugged and compelling, and if the lyrical content is any indication, this is clearly her "Sade" record: somebody must have broken her heart and the listeners get to benefit from the raw emotion that shines through from her experiences. She channels all of her previous potential, influences and the freedom that running her own label affords, and comes out with a stellar record.

Amazing stuff.......again.......2005-10-10

The first time I heard Alana Davis was in a book store. This great music was playing in the background and that haunting voice kept pulling me away from the books, until I had to ask who it was. I left with my books and a copy of "Blame it on me", a disk that has been played more than any other in my 3000+ CD collection. The title track is still the sexiest song I have ever heard. When "Fortune Cookie" was released it was like a national holiday. It was a hard-to-understand collection of songs, but all the songs were just great, especially "Easy to love". And now, "Surrender Dorothy" is wearing out another CD player, as "Vision", "Create" and "Right There" are heard every single morning. This woman's voice is so pure, so haunting and edgey, as she swoops from note to note like a seagull over the sea. I just cant get enough, and I hope she wont make us wait so long for the next chapter. I cant describe it any better than that, just get it. Get all her stuff and take it on a drive along the Oregon coast alone or with a QUIET friend. By the end of your journey you will be in love with Alana Davis.

Léhar: The Land of Smiles; The Merry Widow; The Count of Luxembourg (Highlights)

Average customer rating:

Arguably "The Best" English "Merry Widow "

Léhar: The Land of Smiles; The Merry Widow; The Count of Luxembourg (Highlights)

Manufacturer: Class. for Pleas. Us
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Johann Strauss II: Die Fledermaus; The Gypsy Baron (Highlights)
Offenbach: La Belle Helene; Orpheus in the Underworld; La Vie Parisienne (Highlights)
Offenbach: Orpheus in the Underworld / Burgess, Watson, etc (Highlights)
The Best of Operetta, Vol. 3
The Best of Operetta, Vol. 2

ASIN: B00009KHY2
Release Date: 2003-09-02

Customer Reviews:

Arguably "The Best" English "Merry Widow ".......2006-09-12

This is the "Merry Widow" with English translation by Christopher Hassel sung by June Bronhill. I loved this rendition ever since I first heard it in about 1960. What's to love? First the translation is the best I've heard. The language doesn't sound "stilted" as some others. And, you can understand almost every word sung. Plus, the famous song, "Vilja" has some wording that moves me every time I hear it: The soprano sings, "Love me and I'll DIE for you!" with the word "die" somewhat emphasized. I don't know, there's just something "powerful" about someone saying they'd "die" for love! AND, at the end of "Vilja" the chorus and soprano raise to a crescendo hitting a high note together. In many renditions the chorus is heard but not the soprano on the final high note. In THIS version, the soprano, June Bronhill, can be heard rising to the final high note with an incressing crescendo and fortissimo louder than the chorus and holding the final high note---which gives a very thrilling effect as she holds that final note, I assure you!

The "problem" is that this June Bronhill, Reid, and Hassel version is hard to find on CD. For example, this CD is made in Holland and "there is one left" so it says on Amazon. But, if you can find it, I think it would be very much worth a listen. Then, after hearing it, if you think there's a "better" Merry Widow, please let ME know! Thanks. Email:boland7214@aol.

Average customer rating:

Surrender Dorothy

Manufacturer: Midwest Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Rock | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00005YY9I
Release Date: 2001-12-07

Tracks:

Wish I Could Cry
Linthicum Road
To Tell A Lie
Bet The Counter Youth
All The Long Years
Seethemanormaker
Surrender Children
One-Hundred Years Of Enmity
Status Punch
Little Diamond
Open Your Eyes To Me
Venus De Milo
Growing Strong
She Dreams About The Sun

Album Description

Combining the musical sensibilities from both classic and alternative rock -- along with a maturity that only age and experience can bring -- The Empire Towers have touched a nerve with their first release, "Surrender Dorothy." Don Drehoff and Stan Gabriszeski (both formerly of "The Smack") have collaborated for the first time in over a decade to produce a stunning collage of words, images, and sound that perfectly capture the intricacies of love, loss, wisdom and healing -- definitely not the kind of stuff for the young or faint at heart. Listen and you may be challenged or even changed -- but certainly you will never be the same again. Here's hoping there is more music like this to follow -- we all need more songs from The Empire Towers.