Caroline Doctorow’s Dreamlike Journey

An articulate and thoughtful singer/songwriter whose career spans a quarter of a century, Caroline Doctorow has been responsible for some of the sweetest songs of the modern folk idiom. Lately however, she’s changed her tack, choosing instead to focus on the catalogs of heritage artists that initially inspired her. Her latest album, Dreaming in Vinyl, is less specific, drawing instead on a wide array of songs that have made some sort of imprint over the course of the past 50 years. With sterling production and sparse arrangements by Pete Kennedy, each selection reflects a knowing intuition, thanks to tender renditions of both classic and lesser known tunes by exemplary artists that have clearly had an influence on Doctorow herself — Dylan, Dion, Donovan, Paul Simon, Randy Newman and the like. Consequently, her renditions of the Velvet Underground’s “Sunday Morning,” Dylan’s “Time Passes Slowly,” the Beatles’ Across the Universe” and the Hollies’ “Hard Hard Year” find a common bond in her unusually lilting renditions, treatments that are sometimes far removed from the upbeat tick of the originals. It’s little matter though; Doctorow’s interpretive skills find her adapting each offering to her own alluring style. I’s also a mark of her skill and a supple stance that a pair of originals, “To Be Here” and “That’s How I’ll Remember You,” fit into the flow and suggest a common bond with the classics covered here. A quiet but assured summation of great music that continues to provide an indelible imprint even today, Dreaming in Vinyl is a testament to the endless ability inherent in song to make listeners reflect and rejoice.