The first time your reviewer heard of CHARLIE DORE was when he read a review of her recent album "Sleep All Day And Other Stories" a couple of months back, yet further reseach reveals she's a well-respected songwriter whose own career was curtailed for years while she casually knocked out classics for the likes of Tina Turner, Celine Dion, Lisa Stansfield and, er, Jimmy Nail.
Still, we shouldn't hold this against her, especially when she sounds so persuasive during the course of these three songs, all of which suggest she can tailor her intriguingly sophisticated songs to fit a whole manner of styles.
That observation may suggest Ms.Dore might sound like a Jill of all trades, but that's not what I'm driving at at all: just that she can skilfully turn her hand to moods and styles and satisfyingly re-cast them in her own image. With "Sleep All Day", for instance, she constructs a plaintive, rippling folk ballad, replete with sympathetic cello lowing in the background. Nick Drake and the McGarrigles initially spring to mind, but I don't remember either of them suggesting housework and DIY as ways of healing a broken heart. "You, you think the dishes are gonna wash themselves - you'd better think again" accuses Charlie, before setting about fixing the window. Neat. Bet 'Flash' and 'Ronseal' would be delighted with her endorsement.
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"Last Night You Said", by comparison, taps into Lucinda Williams-style Americana with fork-tongued slide guitar and a hint of bluegrass, while the closing "When We Fall" finds what sounds like either a mandolin or zither picking out the melody and Charlie setting up an intimate, confessional ballad of some repute. Both are attractive propositions and suggest this lady can rein in and let loose at will.
Bearing in mind she's been operating one way or another for about 25 years, this reviewer is rather late off the blocks where Charlie Dore is concerned. Still, better late than never and all that. Besides, it's ALWAYS a good time to get excited about a new artist, isn't it?
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