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Product Description
The Scotsman,February 22nd,2009
A voice as earthy,pure and clear as a newly discovered Appalachian spring, and songs so strong Joan Baez is moved to cover them ... sitting somewhere between Gillian Welch and a mellow Lucinda Williams, this is an absolute gem of a record, both warm and wonderful. ***** 5 Stars
Whether telling her own or anothers story, Jones's poetic eye for detail draws listeners close within her narrative allowing them to identify with and share the emotions of her protagonists ***** 5 Stars
Jones engenders great respect amongst her peers. Additional vocals are suplied by Mary Gauthier, Nancy Griffith and Betty Elders while Old Crow Medicine Show's Ketch Secor provides fiddle ... I am struggling to find any kind of flaw in an album that is just about perfect in every way
Whether telling her own or anothers story, Jones's poetic eye for detail draws listeners close within her narrative allowing them to identify with and share the emotions of her protagonists ***** 5 Stars
Jones engenders great respect amongst her peers. Additional vocals are suplied by Mary Gauthier, Nancy Griffith and Betty Elders while Old Crow Medicine Show's Ketch Secor provides fiddle ... I am struggling to find any kind of flaw in an album that is just about perfect in every way
CD Description
Diana Jones had released two finely crafted albums in the 1990s, but it wasn't until she released "My Remembrance of You" in 2006 that she found her own voice and broke out of the singer-songwriter pack to emerge as a major figure in Americana music. She had discovered a connection, both biological and artistic, to the sounds of old-time Appalachia, unleashing her private muse and creating a record that landed on best-of-the-year lists in the Chicago Tribune and the Nashville Scene. The three years since that breakthrough have been a whirlwind. Diana has landed the opening slot on high-profile European tours with Richard Thompson and Mary Gauthier and has been the featured invitee at folk festivals in Ireland, England, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania. One of her songs, "Henry Russell's Last Words," has been recorded by Joan Baez, while another, "If I Had a Gun," has been recorded by Gretchen Peters. Diana's own versions of those songs can be heard on her new album, "Better Times Will Come," an ambitious effort that consolidates and extends the leap forward of the preceding record. Diana's fellow singer-songwriters certainly recognize the quality of her new work. Gauthier, Nanci Griffith and Betty Elders add vocals to the project, and the Old Crow Medicine Show's Ketch Secor adds fiddle. The acoustic string-band arrangements, anchored by fiddler Alicia Jo Rabins, bassist Paul Kochanski and multi-instrumentalist Duke Levine, are deceptively simple, for their restraint reveals the haunting originality of the melodies and the understated skill of the performances. This reflects the deceptive simplicity of the lyrics, which tell their stories with the hypnotic repetition and plain speech of old mountain song. Tracks: Better Times Will Come / All God's Children / If I Had A Gun / Henry Russell's Last Words / Soldier Girl / Cracked And Broken / Ballad Of The Poor Child / Oh Appalachia / Evangelina / Something Crossed Over / The Day I Die
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Diana Jones once declared "sad songs cheer me up" and it is quite remarkable how the eleven melancholy numbers on her third album really do manage to be quite uplifting.
The title song is, perhaps, more in hope than prophecy but her nuanced tales of an abandoned child, a doomed miner, an abused wife or a young girl leaving home for boot camp come from a long American tradition of recording the trials and tribulations of life through old timey string band music.
This tradition stretches back through Gillian Welch and Iris DeMent to the Carter Family and Jimmy Rodgers. There is the occasional electric guitar but the album is mainly acoustic, guitar, fiddle, mandolin and bass, which with her clear, vibrato laden voice complements the stark simplicity, but undeniable beauty, of the melodies.
Guest vocalists include such revered legends as Nanci Griffith, Mary Gautier and Betty Elders and serve to underpin the sad grandeur of Diana Jones's original songs.
"If I had a gun you'd be dead
One to the heart, one to the head"
she sings to an abusive husband and the mournful fiddle heightens the emotion.
She hoped that sad songs would cheer her listeners up, too. Well, perhaps "cheer up" is a little strong but this is an album of intelligent, challenging songs with all the credentials of traditional Americana. Recommended.
The title song is, perhaps, more in hope than prophecy but her nuanced tales of an abandoned child, a doomed miner, an abused wife or a young girl leaving home for boot camp come from a long American tradition of recording the trials and tribulations of life through old timey string band music.
This tradition stretches back through Gillian Welch and Iris DeMent to the Carter Family and Jimmy Rodgers. There is the occasional electric guitar but the album is mainly acoustic, guitar, fiddle, mandolin and bass, which with her clear, vibrato laden voice complements the stark simplicity, but undeniable beauty, of the melodies.
Guest vocalists include such revered legends as Nanci Griffith, Mary Gautier and Betty Elders and serve to underpin the sad grandeur of Diana Jones's original songs.
"If I had a gun you'd be dead
One to the heart, one to the head"
she sings to an abusive husband and the mournful fiddle heightens the emotion.
She hoped that sad songs would cheer her listeners up, too. Well, perhaps "cheer up" is a little strong but this is an album of intelligent, challenging songs with all the credentials of traditional Americana. Recommended.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I saw Diana Jones on the BBC Folk America series in February, where she played at one of the Barbican concerts. It was one of those rare moments where you just have to stop, put down whatever you are doing, and are totally arrested. I only saw her perform two songs that night but I knew I had to get this album, and it is one of the best things I've heard in a very long time. The songs cut straight to the heart, and there is an integrity to the music. There is a rare kind of dignity in Diana's voice which expresses a beautiful mixture of elegance with something so obviously honest, empathetic, human and real. It's sophistication in the highest sense - it's the fact that these songs are so simple, yet work so deeply, that make it a truly beautiful album. Most artists could only wish to go so far. This really is special.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This album is a worthy successor to My Rememberance of You, but superior in one aspect, there is one great song amongst several very good others. Henry Russell's Last Words is based on a true story, but from the very first notes it draws the listener into the world of the trapped miner where the story is told with almost unbearable poignancy. This is no easy task, making a contemporary event timeless, and Steve Earle's comments on this art are interesting. She seems to come from an ancient tradition, particularly in terms of instrumentation, but the emotional range of her voice and the quality of the songwritng transcend any perceived limitations. This music mines a very deep emotional vein. The album begins with what would appear to be optimism in the title song, and ends, wthout any sense of irony with The Day I Die, a statement of universal truth.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Better Times Will Come
First heard Diana Jones singing with Steve Earle on television recently and was mesmerised! I was grateful for the reviews that were already posted on Amazon and have to say that... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Donna Mccrae
a masterpiece!
I will keep this short,
this gorgeous lady is a genius! the more i play this album the more i fall in love with her. Read more
this gorgeous lady is a genius! the more i play this album the more i fall in love with her. Read more
Published 15 months ago by beretta
And indeed they did!!
Another outstanding album from Diana Jones, currently THE outstanding singer and writer of folk-tinged acoustic American music. Read more
Published on 21 July 2009 by F Arnold
Excellent modern American folk
Excellent American folk - rooted in an Appalachian sound but modern with strong lyrics and a lovely, distinctive voice.
Published on 4 May 2009 by Martyn Wilson
Fantastic
I never thought I would be into "country" being more of a blues man myself, but this is a fantastic piece of work. Read more
Published on 23 April 2009 by David Cox
highly recommended
I first came across Diana Jones when she supported Richard Thompson at the Roundhouse. I was impressed not only with her performance but with the songs themselves - thoughtful,... Read more
Published on 20 April 2009 by Rosemary A. Swatland
Truly wonderful!
Diana's first album was one of the best things I've ever heard- sad, graceful, subtle and above all real. Beautiful elegant songs about real people and genuine things. Read more
Published on 19 Mar 2009 by F. H. Chapman
Second album as good as the first
Better Times Will Come I thoroughly recommend this sophomore album by Diana Jones. Her first album 'My Remembrance of You ' was my album of the year and it couldn't be faulted for... Read more
Published on 19 Mar 2009 by P. A. Mitchell
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