Shelby Lynn & Allison Moorer / Not Dark Yet

tooblue,

I listened a little to the Amazon samples.
Is there a backing band with a bass, drums, etc. or is it just acoustic guitars strumming?

ozzy

There is a band that varies a bit song to song, their choices of artist that they borrowed from and song choices are as good as it gets and grows on you each listen.

tooblue,

I bought this when it was released, played it a few times, was not impressed, but your post here will cause me to give ti another go.  I love both separately, have seen Shelby many times,  Alison twice, but thought, initial impression, they sing/sound better alone than when singing together.  But will give it another go, thanks.

Almost did the same thing, am a big Shelby Lynn fan, don't know much about Allison but really enjoyed her here.

tooblue,  Check out Allison's "The Hardest Part".  It's country rock and the story of the deterioration of her parent's marriage ending in a murder-suicide.  It's not cheerful but it's one of the best albums in this genre, IMHO.  I don't understand why it's not considered a classic.

@tomcy6 , I will be sure to check it out. Not Dark Yet has it's dark moments also.

I've been meaning to look into this album, as I like both Shelby and Allison. I assume "Not Dark Yet" is Dylan related? A great, great song of his, on the Time Out Of Mind album. 

bdp24, yes its a cover of that Dylan song, one of his best, I think.

There was an article in my Sunday paper about the LP - Houston Chronicle.  I did not know they were sisters AND their father killed their mother in front of them and then committed. 

Damn, that's rough miner. I now remember hearing about that years ago, and had forgotten. A lot of great artists are compelled to create from a place of deep pain.

Check out "The Hardest Part." It’s a great album and there is a "hidden track" about 30 seconds after the last listed track, "Feeling That Feeling Again," that gives Allison’s version of the events of that night.

I don’t think that Shelby and Allison witnessed the murder/suicide but they were at home at the time.

Allison has just had a tragic life. She married Steve Earle a few years ago and had an autistic son with him. That experience influenced songs like, "Mama Let the Wolf In" on her most recent album, "Down To Believing," which is also a very good album, less country, more rock.

Since Steve is not the kind of guy to stick around and raise an autistic son, the marriage ended in divorce. Allison is a tremendously strong person to have endured all this and be able to carry on. She’s a great singer too. I’d recommend the two albums I’ve mentioned and then explore some of her others if you like what you hear.

Not Dark Yet- Not too impressed.

ozzy

Tom, I understand why you would say that about Steve, but the truth of the matter is this: After their breakup, Allison wanted to leave NYC, where the three had been living for quite a while. Steve wanted to stay, and for one reason only---NYC has the best autistic care available. He is very involved in this son's life.

Thanks for that info, bdp24.  I'm glad to hear it.

Yep, all is true- bdp24.
those girls are strong and really made something of their lives where others would have failed.

Yes indeed jafant. Steve Earle himself has crawled back out of the hole he dug himself into.

Steve Earle has a checkered past- bdp24.

jafant, you’re fond of understatement ;-) ! Steve’s quite an interesting character, very opinionated and outspoken, rubbing some people (including Del McCoury, who cancelled the remaining shows in a tour he and his band were doing with Steve when Steve wouldn’t refrain from using the f-word on stage) the wrong way. I myself love the guy. His current road band is one of the best around, on a par with those of Lucinda Williams (she always has a real good one) and Marty Stuart (The Fabulous Superlatives ROCK!).

I saw that tour with Del McCoury, at the TLA on South Street in Philadelphia, and was completely impressed.  I have, however, grown to severely dislike Steve Earle the person, and no longer play his music or go to his shows; he is, to me (and I need forgiveness I suppose for being judgmental of others) a self-centered, selfish, lost nasty human being.  

I wasn't too impressed upon my initial audition. However, I just bought it on a great discount.

Give it time- slaw
Happy Listening!

Not Dark Yet is in my Amazon cart.

I finally listened to it. Love it!

Their cover of "Lithium" is a little weird. It doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of the songs here. Maybe it would have been better to offer it as a 45 rpm single packaged with the lp