Heart of a Singer
Hazel Dickenshas one of those voices that grab you with the first note and never let go. Vastly influential if far from famed, the robust West Virginian here is the centerpiece in a trio in which her two younger singing partners--Virginian Ginny Hawker and Kentuckian Carol Elizabeth Jones--are clearly under her sway. Backed by a crack crew of acoustic players, the complementary trio split up lead-vocal duties, with Hawker stepping to the fore on five selections, while Dickens and Jones each take center stage on four numbers. Dickens contributes a couple of originals, and Jones chips in one of her own, but the threesome mostly dig deep to come up with choice covers, withWoody Guthrie's "Forsaken Lover," the traditional "Times Are Not What They Used to Be," and the Civil War lament "Not a Word of That Be Said" standing out. This is mountain music that's as old as the hills and as fresh as spring water.--Steven Stolder