I recently discovered a new diva to follow when I was on vacation in Atlanta, Georgia. While there, none of my divas were touring in the area, so I decided to check out a new one instead. I’m glad I did. I went to see Doria Roberts in concert at The City Winery and was completely blown away. After the concert she was doing a signing and I wanted to thank her for such an amazing show. I picked up her album Woman Dangerous there and downloaded every album of hers that I could get from Amazon and iTunes when I got home. They’re on CD Baby as well but at a higher price. Here’s how the albums break down:
The Love And The Pain: This was her first album that came out in 1994. It has a Lilith Fair folk sound and each song is a detailed story backed by Doria’s fancy finger work on guitar. The last song “Heaven” is a taste of Doria’s live sound. The album only has 6 songs but it’s a great start to a prolific career.
Restoration: Released in 1999, this full album sounds a lot like early Lisa Loeb, who I also love. It has intricate lyrics and talented musicianship. Her folk sensibilities continue but she branches out more into a pop/rock genre.
Radio Doria: This album has a poetic guitar pop vibe with a darker message. Doria’s style is all her own and unique, therefore her music isn’t tied to any era in time. This album could have easily been recorded last week and is just as relevant today as it was when it originally came out in 2000.
Alive & Well: This is a double album of some of her past and unreleased songs performed live in 2002. What I like about Alive & Well is it reminds me of how mind blowing she is live and it also showcases how funny she is. The intros to some of the songs, where she shares stories, are the cherries on top of this album’s rainbow sprinkled sundae.
Woman Dangerous: I picked this album, released in 2006, to buy at her show because the song “Honey Jar” is on it. That was my favorite song of the night and it’s one of my favorite songs of hers to date. I guess I’m just a sucker for a lesbian love song gone wrong. The rest of the album is just as good in all it’s alt-folk-pop glory.
Blackeyed Susan: This album was part of a Kickstarter campaign she did back in 2010 but is unavailable for download. I wish I would have known about her back then because I would have totally backed that project. At her show there was Blackeyed Susan merch at the table so that gives me something to buy the next time I see her live.
It’s been 7 years since Blackeyed Susan so I can only hope for new music soon. In my gay opinion, Doria Roberts is an incredibly talented musician who is deserving of as much attention as she can get. I just wonder how many more mega talented divas are out there waiting to be discovered. This post is my public service to share with the world (or just the 2 people who read this blog) my greatest find so far.
