Donna Adler
Country of origin:
U.S.
Type of music generally:
Ethereal with a contemporary folk, almost country sensibility. (mjmjminla@yahoo.com)
See also:
Donna Adler's site
Status:
Most recent album, Violets and Blues (2007)
Comparisons:
Early Sarah McLachlan. (mjmjminla@yahoo.com)
Covers/own material:
Mostly own; occasional covers
General comments:
Donna Adler has an amazing voice and is a talented guitarist and songwriter. She has a very straightforward style a lot of the time, and a very strong, rich, confident, beautiful voice. Perhaps a cross between Karen Carpenter and Iris DeMent.... :-). Every time I see her she gets better and better. Granted she has a weakness for squishy sixties style love/romance français ballads of desire, but heck anyone who can cover Sarah McLachlan's "Vox" with just a guitar and hit all the high notes without any visible effort or strain is *ok* with me. That's right. Right here in the windy apple we have a singer who does early Sarah pretty much the way I'd imagine early Sarah doing early Sarah. Complete with all the riffs on an acoustic guitar. (mjmjminla@yahoo.com)
Recommended first album:
Alta Vista Sky
Recordings:
- all the riches of the world (1997)
- Alta Vista Sky (2002) Violets and Blues (2007)
all the riches of the world
Release info:
1997—Grace Street Publishing, P.O. Box 138322, Chicago, IL 60613, U.S.A.
Availability:
See website for availability
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Donna Adler—vocals, guitar
Guest artists:
Brad Newton—percussion
Dave Gans—bass guitar, lead guitar, synth, guitar
Ken Barnhardt—percussion, bird whistles
Ellis Clark—guitar, lead guitar
Mike McCurdy—acoustic bass
Eric Remshneider—violincello
John Williams—accordion
Russel Clark—acoustic bass guitar
Donny Jacobs—clarinet
Beth Forrester—harmony vocals
Amy Spina—harmony vocals, harmony vocal arrangement
John Spiegel—slide guitar
Produced by:
Brad Newton and Donna Adler
Comments:
This is an album of graceful pop-flavoured folk songs. The instrumentation is fairly simple and acoustic, and Donna Adler has a lovely voice and does some charming self-harmonies. This is sure to be a popular album amongst those looking for something mellow and relaxing but that is not simply background music. There's a wonderful purity of vision and clarity of sound here. (sophiagurley@hotmail.com)
Alta Vista Sky
Release info:
2002—Grace Street Publishing
Availability:
See website for availability
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Donna Adler—guitar, vocals, gourd piano
Guest artists:
K. Todd—piano
E. Remschnieder—cello
E. Talbot, M. Thobe, S. Gaede, T. Curless—drums/percussion
T. Stompanato, M. Lindauer, D. Bunn, L. Marini, J. Ross—bass
K. Spilker—accordion
R. Fulks—acoustic guitar and slide
S. Fletcher—violin
T. Murray—fiddle
M. Scott—mandolin
M. Crowley—electric guitar
Produced by:
Donna Adler
Comments:
This is a GREAT album. It just grows and grows on me. It has always amazed me when someone can take simple, straightforward chords and guitar notes, and yet come up with songs that are original and hooky enough to be fresh and new. Nanci Griffith is great at this, as she bridges the country/folk frontier. Donna has achieved this here. Check it out.
The haunting piano bits on "Bring You Home", the first track of Donna Adler's new CD, Alta Vista Sky, paint an aural landscape that sets a faraway tone. This breezy, colorful track sets the tone for Adler's richly textured sophomore effort. Although it is difficult to categorize these songs, they fit snugly in the singer-songwriter genre, somewhere in between new folk and new country.
The country-major sound of about half of the album seems at first listen deceivingly simple. On repeated listens, though, each song manages to etch a distinct impression on the aural canvas. A number of the tracks could be classified as songs of yearning—a theme not entirely foreign to country or folk music.
In "If You Had a Heart", "Are They Blue", and "Old Pomona Road", the protagonist respectively implores "love me only", dreams about a "kiss from a prince" and sighs "one day I will lay it all down and rest my soul". In "My Dog's Eyes", deserted memories of "deep clear water", "tall trees in red chimneys" and happiness "looking into my dogs eyes" are sought to be recaptured. But these traditional angles are elevated both by the clarity, purity and richness of Adler's voice, and by the subtle appropriateness of the arrangements.
Shades of John Gorka-esque lyricism—simple yet allegorical—are apparent in tracks like "Nadia", a song in which a young girl finds herself when she discovers the violin.
After a few listens, I was convinced that at least one of the songs ("My Dogs Eyes") was a Tom Waits cover. Or a cover of something that I had heard before. Not the case. Every song on this CD is original. Adler's voice is almost wrenchingly pure. One wonders what the results would be if Adler's formidable talent was shaped by a stylistic producer like Daniel Lanois ("Rain Shine" definitely evokes Lanois). Or if she took a chance with an a cappella Celtic ballad ("The Crow" comes close to a Celtic feel) or an unaccompanied lament.
In the most general sense, Alta Vista Sky is a step up from Donna's debut, All the Riches of the World, which I liked as well. The orchestration is more rich and more consistent. The guitar is crisp and alive. The harmonies are low-key and not over-powering. This is a much more polished product, and a most welcome and reflective antithesis to the mainstream pop scene of today. Just about any of these songs would be right at home on a collection like Follow that Road. Or on a show like Morning Becomes Eclectic.
Here's hoping that Donna Adler wins the audience and the critical acclaim that she deserves. If you like sparkling vocals and original music, Alta Vista Sky deserves a place in your CD-changer. (mjmjminla@yahoo.com)
Further info:
Email: donna @ donnaadler . com
Thanks to Mike Mendelson and Sophia Gurley for work on this entry.
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