Troubadour is the long overdue vinyl re-issue of Dorothy Carters amazing debut album from 1976, when it was quite possibly the most criminally overlooked album of that year.
I was stunned on first listening and have played this album more than any review album in about 10 years prior to writing this. Dorothy was a 1950's traveller and seeker of truth, who lived in Mexico where she intended to become a Nun, instead joining fellow travellers in establishing a community.
In the early 70's the commune became the experimental folk band Central Maine Power Company, although she had been playing since the 1950's it took till 1976 for her to be coaxed into Studio B in Cambridge Mass to record Troubadour with help from Bob Rutman, Steve Baer producing and Constance and Sally Hilmer accompanying her Hammered Dulcimer, Psaltery Flute and vocalizing.
The album opens with Troubadour Song with her hammered dulcimer marching across the speakers, the evocative nature of Dorothy's music starts to open your ears, to sounds both ancient and modern mixed into a minstrel's song without words.
Binnorie is almost hushed playing, the psalter and dulcimer sound like harps being played by Hendrix, but with a classical lyre like feel that's intoxicating, breathtaking and just all round wonderful to listen too.
Troubadour Song On The Psaltery has a more 15th century feel as if this should be played in a castle.
Make a Joyful Sound does that in incredible ways, taking this old hymn and elevating it to sepulchral levels of wonderment, Dorothy makes plain we should all Make A Joyful Sound for the lord, her dulcimer heralding the angels.
Lark In the Morning is a brief Irish dance played at a rather jaunty pace that leads into Balinderry almost like she's playing at an Irish session, it slows down but still has all sorts of magic going on.
Tree Of Life opens slowly in an almost Chinese Opera style, slowly the dulcimer notes weave through the flute, sparingly picked arabesque notes tumble before spirits of life arrive in Dorothy's ethereal vocalizing, casting her spell to bring life to the eternal plans, oud like runs glissando shimmers.
Visiting Song has classical Indian hues expanding on the strings hammered, plucked meditations. The King Of Glory is an inspiration to prayer, minstrel folk song, piped and sang for the glory of Emmanuel a beautiful reading of an seventeenth century hymn.
The Morning Star can still be seen, slowly rising over the horizon this would accompany dawn perfectly for the glory of a new day. A traditional Ukraine Carol is not totally Christmassy but does have feelings of joy at its heart.
Cuckoo Song had me waiting to hear Yma Sumac calling out betwixt the flutes calls in response to the magical sounds, eventually Dorothy brings the glad tidings of hearing the cuckoo sing once more.
Masquerade is a slow madrigal like dance across the notes, passionate florid enticement.
The album closes with Shirt Of Lace slow ponderously plucked sepulchral notes of love in the Appalachians, played from on high, the notes travelling over the valleys to find the object of all that affection.
This album will make the perfect Christmas present for anyone who loves Gospel folk music, a truly compelling record that I just keep wanting to play over and over possibly the greatest album from 1976 you never heard of.
Find out more at https://www.dragcity.com/artists/dorothy-carter https://dorothycarter.bandcamp.com/album/troubadour
