Music was always a small but significant part of
Karen Black's career, whether she was one of the leading actors in the New Hollywood scene of the 1970s or a cult icon of horror and B-movies in the '90s and 2000s. She sang in several of her films, most notably
Robert Altman's 1975 classic
Nashville, where she performed songs she wrote herself. Around that time,
Black also appeared on variety shows hosted by
Bobby Vinton and
Dolly Parton, singing her own material; decades later, she performed with
L7 and collaborated with
Cass McCombs. However,
Black also recorded her music, and at the peak of her mainstream popularity, she headed into the studio with producers including
Bones Howe and
Elliot Mazer. It wasn't until after her 2013 death that these sessions were discovered by her fourth husband, Stephen Eckelberry, and eventually compiled by
McCombs as
Dreaming of You (1971-1976). It's a striking collection that builds on the reputation of her previous performances and offers plenty of surprises along the way.
Black is an intuitive singer/songwriter with a knack for colorful detail and a flair for intimate performances. Both are immediately apparent on the wide-eyed opening track "Sunshine of Our Days" as well as "You're Not in My Plans," which is steeped in a weariness both down-to-earth and haunting. The spookier, sorrowful side of folk is one of
Black's specialties, whether on the fairy tale-gone-wrong "It All Turned Out the Way I Planned It" or "That's Me," where she expresses ghostly remembrances in a dreamy and pure soprano.
Black's performances as a singer are as nuanced as her acting, spanning the lilting sweetness of "Dreaming of You," the gorgeous high notes of "The Wind Doesn't Speak to Me Anymore," and the throaty heartache of "Well I Know You're Lonely Now." And just as her roles had range, so do
Dreaming of You's songs. One of the few tracks with a full band, "Babe Oh Babe," could pass for a forgotten folk-pop hit from the era; "If I Thought You'd Ever Change Your Mind" is a lavish exercise in chamber folk; and "Thank God You're Mine" recalls her
Nashville songs with its piano and pedal steel.
Dreaming of You's simple instrumentation -- which frequently amounts to a lone acoustic guitar -- helps
Black traverse many sounds and moods, and lends a timelessness to songs such as her version of
the Moody Blues' "Question," one of the collection's most beautiful moments. It's a testament to her gifts as a writer and performer that the additions
McCombs makes to some of her songs, like the pedal steel and tumbling drums on the heartbreaking "I Wish I Knew the Man I Thought You Were," aren't entirely necessary. Though it's a shame
Black didn't find time to record and release more of her music,
Dreaming of You (1971-1976) rivals any private press discoveries when it comes to authenticity, originality, and beauty. ~ Heather Phares