Roland Digh keeps it tasteful on The Lady Known as ‘She’

    1 of 1 2 of 1

      The Lady Known as ‘She’ (Independent)

      Roland Digh doesn’t sound much like a man of his time, that being one of both his strengths and weaknesses. On the latter front, it’s hard to imagine the veteran singer connecting with an audience beyond the coffee shops of the Gulf Islands. That’s not meant to be a putdown, but instead more of an acknowledgment that Digh, who’s been at it since the ’60s (in between backpacking adventures), makes music that’s more Bob Dylan–era Greenwich Village than the modern folkies Fleet Foxes.

      Turning to the positives, the man’s songs and playing are unrelentingly tasteful, whether he’s dabbling in Sunday-afternoon MOR (“Linda’s Name”) or easy-listening country (“Just a Man”).

      Occasionally, tracks like “For All the Alien Children” are achingly sincere to the point where they sound like outtakes from A Mighty Wind. Still, let’s admire Digh for holding on to his ideals, especially when the shit-splattered world around him is heading to hell in a nuclear-fucking-powered handbasket.

      Comments