DAWN ANITA
Saddlin’ Up For God, Country & Cowboy
Pony
Express – Drivin’ His Cattle Home – Stand Up I’m Talkin’ About Texas –
My Oklahoma Cowboy – My Pinto Pony – Cattle Call – Friday Night Cowboy –
Sook Sook Cowboy – Oklahoma Hills – One More Last Chance – Allegiance
To The Flag
What
a pleasant experience to hear ‘real’ cowboy and western music is still
alive and well, and extremely well done. Dawn Anita is a beautiful
Oklahoma cowgirl with a magnificent voice. Add to that her remarkable
ability to ‘compose’ some very interesting and truly ‘traditional’
western style original songs. This CD opens with a remarkable song
about the Pony Express, inspired by Dawn’s mother LaVerna. The
songwriting ability of Dawn Anita is well represented by no less than
nine of eleven songs with her ‘brand’ on them. We get to hear a little
‘Asleep At The Wheel’ which is pretty sensational, but I am equally
impressed with all the various styles that Dawn includes in this very
inclusive album, which not only includes some Bob Wills, but also the
very distinguished ‘Reba’ style, but not quite so country as western,
which in my mind is far more entertaining. For someone who has been
listening to America’s ‘rural’ music for a very long time, it never
ceases to amaze me how some recording engineers tend to ‘hide’ the
vocalists voice, hardly able to understand what they are
singing-saying. Not the case with Dawn Anita. She’s the reason for the
season of this delightful western music. Tom Smith has a studio in
Garland, Texas, and he also mixed and mastered this very unique
project. Add to that his ability to play piano, bass, and drums on this
session and you can begin to ‘feel’ the remarkable ‘likeability’ of two
souls gathering their talent together to produce and present this
wonderful observation and listening experience of ‘real’ cowgirl and
cowboy music. Super! I was also impressed that Dawn would add a couple
of legendary songs from the past. “Cattle Call” has a ‘new brand’ on
it that sits extremely well. Also impressive for me, especially when it
was the widow of Woody Guthrie who led me to my music destination with
the Smithsonian Institution. Dawn included a very clever version of
Woody’s ‘Oklahoma Hills.’ Can’t talk about this number one ‘western’
music experience without talking about the musicians. Milo Deering is on
rhythm, lead, steel (especially good steel) dobro, mandolin, and
fiddle (another traditional western music instrument done especially
nice). Keven Bailey is on the harmonica and really shows us his licks
on “Drivin’ His Cattle Home.” And, harmony singers include Dawn
herself, along with Nikki Sanford, and Kenneth Bolin. And one more
thing, Dawn Anita is an incredibly gifted yodeler. I was a very close
and dear friend of Patsy Montana, and somehow I hear Dawn Anita through
Patsy’s ears as well as her wonderful ‘championing’ of this music genre
which is American as it can get. Five stars here, easy easy easy.
RECORD REVIEW BY BOB EVERHART, President National Traditional Country Music Assn/ www.music-savers.com for Country Music News International Magazine & Radio Show