Track Listing

1. I Ain't Giving Up On You
2. Baby Dreamer
3. Melancholy Polly
4. Believe You Me
5. One On The House
6. All Aboard
7. The Duel
8. When Will You Ever Come Down
9. Louise Is In The Blue Moon
10. Once Upon A Time She Said
11. Sing Me To Sleep

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #138299 in Music
• Released on: 2004-04-12
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
Some of the best records are all about a mood. The Duel displays a kind of world-weariness bordering on despair, evidenced immediately by the languid vocal delivery and the sparse, laid-back, but intense sound of the band. The lyrics themselves may take a while to creep up on you. Moorer has never quite fit the Nashville mold, and her songs here certainly don't follow the Music Row formula. Instead they paint dark pictures of failed faith (the title tune), alcoholism, ("One on the House"), and death ("Sing Me to Sleep"). RS Field's perfect production owes more than a passing debt to Neil Young. If you think this all sounds depressing you'd be wrong. As with all great country music, exquisite execution, splendid sound and depth of feeling combine to create a cathartic, redemptive result. --Michael Ross, Amazon.com

Customer Reviews

Unexpected.
Allison Moorer's "Miss Fortune" is one of my favourite albums of the last few years. Beautiful, emotive songs, powerful melodic hooks and emotionally mature lyrics all wrapped up in the most glossy, sumptious production imaginable.

So I was really looking forward to her next album, and here it is!

The first thing you notice about this album is the cover. It's not what you'd expect. And neither is the music.

Gone is the lush production of "Miss Fortune", and gone to, to a certain extent, are the lush melodies.
Instead, this is a very angry, raw, nihilistic approach. Like the amazon review says, this does not sit comfortably. This is Allison Moorer stripped back to a 3 piece band - drums, bass, and very raw guitar. Some songs are augmented by a piano or accoustic guitar, but that's it.

The album has a very "demo" sound to it - it feels like you're stuck in some redneck Alabama roadhouse, and this is the house band. You can almost hear the bar-fights breaking out as you strain to make the lyrics out over the noise.

And so to the songs - At the bottom end is stuff like "All Aboard" - a monotonous guitar rythym and lyrics that would make a sixth-form poet cringe, and the frankly dreadful "Melancholy Polly", but the rest of the album soars beyond it's empty production.

"One on the House" captures the despair of "Dying Breed", and songs like "Ain't Gining Up On You" and "Louise is in The Blue Moon" show that the old Allison is still alive and well.
And then there's the title track "The Duel" - A beautiful song, sung with so much emotion.

The whole album hangs together well. The mood is sustained throughout - it's just not a very comfortable mood this time around.

This album represents a significant step along Allison's musical journey - just not a step in the direction you would expect. And given the cynicism evident in many of her lyrics, not a direction I feel Allison would have expected either.

A very strange and challenging album.

The Voice returns
What can I tell you? If you've heard Allison before you've probablyalready bought it. If you haven't heard her start here. If any woman sanga song to me like the album opener "I ain't giving up on you" as Allisonsings it I'd be crawling back begging to be forgiven. Drunks are normallybores, but I'd buy a whole bottle of JD for anyone who could sing "One onthe house" like Ms Moorer. On the other hand "All aboard" sounds anattractive proposition - but beware the siren's song. And those are butthree picks from the eleven gems here.
Rockier than her earlier discs,this will be one of my albums of the year. Do yourself a favour and get acopy.
NOW!

Probably one of the best albums ever



The more you listen to this album, the better it gets. Never has she sounded better, more soulful, more alive.

Just cant think of words to describe how good it is,, just listen end enjoy