Bonnie Dobson is a Canadian folk singer/songwriter who was mostly active during the days of the American folk revival movement of the early 1960s, up through to the mid 1970s. Bonnie Dobson is credited as the writer of the classic folk tune, “Morning Dew”; a version of “Morning Dew” that was added to by Tim Rose became a folk standard covered by many groups, including the Grateful Dead, Fred Neil, the Jeff Beck Group, and many others. This album, Bonnie Dobson (1969), is Dobson’s seventh album according to the discography section on her Wikipedia page, and was Dobson’s first release in five years. As a Deadhead, I’m pretty excited to give this album a listen, so with that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“I Got Stung” starts out with an upbeat folksy groove from the drums, acoustic guitar, and bass, which seem to have a bit of a psychedelic feel. Oh wow, there’s a really interesting droning and buzzing note from what sounds to be a sitar that comes into the soundscape every so often. Oh wow, I really dig the piano that enters the soundscape with a sort of vaguely bluesy rollicking feel for a couple quick licks. Holy smokes, some baroque orchestral strings come into the soundscape that add some really nice sweetness. Wow, great track, and I’m excited to hear more.
“Morning Dew” starts out with some gradually flowing folk acoustic guitar that is soon joined by the classic vocal lines that I’m familiar with. Oh wow, some really sweet orchestral strings add a really interesting, almost sunshine pop-like feel to the folksy soundscape. Holy smokes, I really dig the way the vocals and the orchestral strings seem to climb and flow alongside each other in this track. Super sweet tune.
“Let’s Get Together” gets grooving with a low, folksy bass line that is driven forward by a folksy beat while some acoustic guitar gradually continues flowing along from the side, almost like the wake left behind a slow moving boat on an otherwise still lake. Holy smokes, I really dig the layering of the vocals in this track, which have a really sweet, folksy psychedelic feel. Holy smokes, I really dig the dynamic feel of the bass line in this track. The orchestral strings almost add in a sort of sunshine pop feel to the soundscape too that I’m really digging. Super sweet track.
“I’m Your Woman” gets grooving with some mellow acoustic guitar, a sweet bass line, and some light drums. Holy smokes, there are some really sweet, swirling organs in this track that complement the orchestral strings really nicely. Great tune.
“Time” starts out with a really interesting, almost strange bass line and some accompanying chimes that sort of remind me a bit of The Doors. Oh wow, the vocals have such a sweet feel that reminds me of the style of Scott Walker, especially when the orchestral strings enter the soundscape. Oh wow, there are some really sweet jangling percussive instruments that come into the soundscape for the outro movement. Great tune.
“Rainy Windows” starts out with some mellow, folksy acoustic guitar that is soon backed by some light percussion. I’m kind of reminded of the singer/songwriter style of Simon & Garfunkel. Oh wow, the orchestral strings come in and make me think of a folksy mixture of Scott Walker with Simon & Garfunkel. Holy smokes, there’s a really interesting psychedelic outro movement that pulled me even closer to my speakers. Wow, super sweet track.
“Everybody’s Talking” gets started with an upbeat groove comprised of folksy sounds from a jangling acoustic guitar, tight bass line, and a dynamic driving beat. Oh wow, I really dig the way the orchestral strings seem to accentuate the grooves from the acoustic guitar and bass line. Oh wow, I really dig the piano in this track. Wow, great tune.
Holy smokes, “Bird of Space” starts out with some strange, sort of folksy psychedelic lines from what sounds to be a sitar, which is backed by a grooving bass line and a mellow beat. Oh wow, I really dig the way the vocals and the orchestral strings move alongside one another in a way that seems to walk the line between baroque pop and sunshine pop. Super sweet tune.
“You Never Wanted Me” gets started with some flowing acoustic folk guitar, a sort of lightly chugging beat, and a low, grooving bass guitar. I really dig the way the orchestral strings move alongside Dobson’s sweet vocal lines. Super sweet tune.
“Pendant Que” starts out with a really mystifying, psychedelic baroque harpsichord/keyboard movement. Oh wow, the vocals that sound to be in French come in with some really sweet flavors. Oh wow, I really dig the sort of mysterious and somewhat dark sound from the main melody of the track. Holy smokes, the outro movement of the track changes up a ton to something of a raga-inflected psychedelic baroque folk section. Wow, great track.
“Elevator Man” starts out with a sweet build up from some orchestral strings. Oh wow, the track takes form as a really sweet folksy singer/songwriter tune that I’m really digging. Super sweet track.
Oh wow, “Winter’s Going” starts out with a somewhat melancholic folksy feel with the flowing acoustic guitar and low, mellow bass line. Holy smokes, the droning note from the sitar on the first track reappears alongside some more notes from a sitar. Oh wow, I really dig this track. The orchestral strings don’t seem to be as prevalent in this track, while still adding a really nice baroque sweetness to the soundscape. Wow, great track and a great way to finish the album.
Holy smokes, I’m glad that I checked out this album tonight. The sort of blend of psychedelia, folk, singer/songwriter, and baroque flavors throughout the album reminded me of a sort of mixture of Linda Perhacs, Simon & Garfunkel, Scott Walker that I really enjoyed. If you’re into psychedelic folk and baroque pop from the late 1960s, then you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, then I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A