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"Oklahoma native Nancy K. Dillon comes from a musical family, but she moved away from home westward to Seattle to launch her own music career. Following
stints as a dj, performing in a swing band, and singing Hank Williams' tunes, she launches her own recording career with JUST LET ME DREAM (Rose Rock Records
RRR 111). A somewhat eclectic mix, Nancy throws in some toe-tapping bluegrass-flavoured songs (Almost To Idaho), lonesome western balladry (Nothing
In Texas), Cajun-styled rock (Play 1-4 Susie) and mountain gospel (Revelation). Very much in the Kasey Chambers and Lucinda Williams school of rootsy
singer-songwriters, Nancy K. Dillon stands out as a new original talent that you need to investigate."
****(4 of 4 stars)
"To Nancy ~ who knows more than a little about making musical magic!"
"She may have relocated to Seattle years ago, but Oklahoma native Nancy K. Dillon's roots are clearly cemented in the Red Dirt State. In "Crossing 66," you can almost feel the hum of the rumblin' pick-up as you follow alongside Dillon, chasing a dream throughout the criss-crossed roads of the U.S.A. Pockets of bluegrass, fancy fingerin' and perfect finger-snappin' beats are scattered throughout "Just Let Me Dream." So too are the quiet strums of a lonesome cowgirl, nestled in between thoughtful lyrics of regret, as in "Nothing in Texas" and "Tired Heart." Dillon even included an impressive "O Susanna" in her debut release. I expected knee-slappin,' but what I got was an almost Fleetwood Mac ballad. Dillon and friends will be celebrating a CD release Saturday at the Blue Door."
"Raised in Oklahoma and now living in Seattle, Nancy K Dillon deals a pretty neat line in singer-songwriter-isms tempered with folk, country and western swing; she oozes the road in her style, to the extent that JLMD sometimes feels like a travelogue, but a personal one, relating people, places and feelings that passed by on the journey. There is no Lucinda Williams style emotional evisceration going on here, though, and the confessional dial is turned down several notches - much is evoked and implied rather than simply on display for all to see. Denton TX man Michael Hill (a sometime Slobberboner, if that's the expression) contributes guitars, backing vocals and co-production, though there are many extras playing mandolin, cello and fiddle amongst other sounds. JLMD is accomplished, mature and soulful and NKD is a real standout amongst the ranks of roots based acoustic artists out there at the moment - file alongside early Lucinda or perhaps Kasey Chambers."
"There's something about small towns that goes so well with music. It might be the stories each one has that somehow resemble the rest to a
unique "t", or it might be the common aspirations of leaving them. More than likely, however, it's a combination of both. While songs about
getting away from small town America are definitely not a rarity, real people making honest music are. And this is what makes Nancy K. Dillon's
debut album of 2004, "Just Let Me Dream" so special.
A small town girl from Oklahoma, Dillon has always had big dreams of becoming an established singer-songwriter who did things the old-fashioned way
on her own terms. And as soon as she graduated from college, Dillon headed out west to make her dreams come true. "Just Let Me Dream" is a testament
to her determination as well as her accomplishments. A broad mix of Americana at its finest Dillon breaks down genre barriers with ease as she weaves
a vast array of styles that range from sophisticated jazz to 60's soul to bluegrass to broken-hearted country blues into a delightfully detailed quilt
of emotion that isn't quite like any other on the market. And though the album is full of all the right instrumental fixings (such as a resonator guitar,
mandolin, accordion and banjo), the common denominator that ties all the songs together is Dillon's welcoming voice of reassurance that beckons the
audience to join her on her journeys through life and a vast nation of turmoil and triumph.
While the music is diverse and Dillon's voice top notch the album would not be as successful or smooth without Dillon's lyrics. Whether she's
singing about the surreal euphoria of the title track, small town claustrophobia ("Crossing 66"), or treks across the US ("Nothing in Texas"),
Dillon stays true to her roots and soul remaining careful to stay away from clichés and close to the things she knows best. Such experience is
priceless in her songs as is her unwavering spirit making "Just Let Me Dream" one of the greatest albums to hit the shelves in a long time and
Dillon an artist to keep an eye out for." Grade: B+
"For all she's spent the last 20 odd years in Seattle, making a name for herself singing folk, country, R&B, jazz and Western Swing, Nancy K's still the girl who grew up in Oklahoma City, six blocks from Route 66, and her album, which she describes very neatly as 'twang-folk', has plenty of windswept Southwest in it. Specific references are to Oklahoma (Crossing 66), Texas (Nothing In Texas, with The Nancy Boys) and New Mexico (The Ballad of Mabel Dodge), but hints of honky tonk, Tex-Mex and cowboy music, intertwined with bluegrass, country, gospel and traditional folk, make this a true Americana album that could easily have come out of Austin. With the smooth relaxed warmth of Nancy's vocals, stellar backing and production and twelve strong originals (plus a cover of Jimmy LaFave's Give Your Sweet Love To Me, of which the highlights are Almost To Idaho and Play 1-4 Susie, well, what's not to like?" - @@@@ (4 out of 5 flowers!!)
"We've reviewed an earlier title by Nancy, and that one was a bit more Country. This one seems aimed at more of an Americana audience, although there are still Country elements and tracks. It seems no expense was spared, there are some stellar players on this including Stacy Phillips on Dobro, Paul Elliott on fiddle, John Reischman on mandolin, Chris Leighton on drums, Keith Lowe on bass, Jeff Simmons on Vox organ and several others. Not all on every cut of course. All the songs are original except Jimmy LaFave's "Give Your Sweet Love To Me", with a couple having co-writers. My favorite tracks are the Bluegrassish "Almost To Idaho", the Country Rock, "Play 1-4 Susie", and the waltz "Fire and Soul", but I like it all. The arrangements and recording are sparkling."
"This is a really fine album of singer/songwriter fare with a bit of an old-timey feel in spots. I like this CD a lot. The songs are well-written, tuneful and intelligent."
"Thank you very much for sending me your more than beautiful release. I've enjoyed listening to your great songs and music and I will give your disc regular airplay in my radio show, because you're damn good!"
"Nancy K. Dillon, Seattle's pillar of western swing, has a more intimate, personal sound these days - call it "folk twang" - and this solo album will be an instant favorite of fans of introspective singer/songwriter material as well as honky tonk stompers. Dillon's record is evocative of the great themes of the west: the road, lonesome struggle, deep faith tested, the vast beauty of it all. She never has to resort to clichéd descriptions or hackneyed styles to call up these spirits, though, as she draws on a wide, complex background in musical Americana to suggest themes that span the human condition. Thus the small town claustrophobia of "Crossing 66" is a dark country blues suggestive of emancipation from slavery, and the hippie-love utopia that is the title tune is actually a sophisticated jazz number. The fancy term for this kind of writing is mythopoeia, and with Dillon we come to understand why a bluegrass tune about driving through Idaho is perfectly sensible, as is the astonishing, "Nothing In Texas", the most beautiful '60s-soul slow dance ever to wear denim. Dillon is backed by various friends from across the country and across the many styles she's comfortable with, principally her collaborator of late, Michael Hill. The picking is top notch and the CD is beautifully produced and packaged. It's one to rush out and get!"
"... great from beginning to end. We're planning to play the title track on our show tomorrow and hope our listeners will enjoy your music as much as we did."
"A fine, fine release from a rising star on the local scene..."
"Strong album from Seattle-based singer/songwriter..."
"Oklahoma-born Nancy K. Dillon has performed in various groups for years in Seattle. Her solo debut, Just Let Me Dream, has a lot going for it. I can't recall the last time I singled out an album for being so well-played. Resonator guitar, clawhammer banjo and mandolin are used with particular grace. But it's countrified folkie Dillon's welcoming voice that pulls the album together. The accordion-driven "Play 1-4 Susie" sweetly describes the yearning folks who return to clubs regularly and occasionally find what they're looking for."
"Nancy blends country, blue grass, and her own unique sound with lyrics that combine old-fashioned rhyming rhythms with the language of the most sophisticated post-modern spirituality. Every song can be heard as a straight-forward ditty, or as a deep metaphor for the spiritual journey to wholeness. For example, my unbiased favorite is "Nothing in Texas": "Ain't nothin' in Texas to stop the wind It just keeps blowin', remembering Ain't nothin' can stop these songs that I play They just float up as the stars blaze away Melody plays by the light of the moon She laughs as she dances and sings her new tune" Don't we all have a new tune to sing now? A new dance to dance? And isn't the moon sending us the dreams to guide us there?"
"Like a distant dream you can almost hear, a Southwestern wind blows through opening track "Crossing 66", a haunting portrait of a small portion of that historic route. Nancy refers to it as a "love song to a highway", one which lay mere blocks away from where she grew up in Oklahoma City. She has called Seattle, WA home for the past couple of decades, and in that time has established herself as a warm and striking singer of folk, country, R&B and Western swing. Just Let Me Dream lets her showcase her versatility through a sweet, easygoing set of folk and country tunes. Hints of traditional, bluegrass, honky tonk, West Coast country, Tex-Mex, and cowboy - or cowgirl, in this case - all emerge throughout this twangy folk offering, which was produced by singer/guitarist Michael Hill (12lb Test, Slobberbone)."