WHO IS DUDLEY?
Dudley is best known for his MUSIC and
WRITING.
WHAT'S HIS
MUSIC LIKE?
It sounds like a mix of ELLIOTT SMITH art-folk and GILLIAN
WELCH country, as it might have been sung by JEFF BUCKLEY.
He has recorded three CDs for FANG
RECORDS.
WHAT ABOUT HIS
WRITING?
His journalism has appeared in
ROLLING STONE, INTERVIEW, THE VILLAGE
VOICE, etc. His performance writing has been produced at THE
KITCHEN and DIXON PLACE, etc. His fiction has appeared in THE
KENYON REVIEW. And he wrote the Aurora Award-winning non-fiction
film THE PROCESS.
He's also known for editing and directing the two published
"performance novels" of Heather
Woodbury: WHAT
EVER: A LIVING NOVEL and TALE
OF 2CITIES: AN AMERICAN JOYRIDE ON MULTIPLE TRACKS, which
won a 2007 Village Voice Obie Award.
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NEW CD REVIEWS
AMPLIFIER
Brian Baker
“Before Dudley Saunders embarked on a career in art-washed Americana,
he was a performance artist, which may go a long way toward explaining
the dramatic and visually rich tone of his third album, THE EMERGENCY
LANE. There is a natural tendency to
draw parallels between Saunders
and ‘Hissing of Summer Lawns’-era Joni Mitchell, as Saunders’ wire walk
between the simplicity of folk and the complexity of jazz, exhibited
both musically and lyrically, mirrors Mitchell’s own creative
explorations, particularly on dissonantly melodic pieces like
“Mushy-Headed Kid” and the disquieting “Love Song for Jeffrey Dahmer.”
Saunders is a masterful storyteller, and his eye for detail and ear for
a well-crafted phrase puts him in Bruce Springsteen/Leonard Cohen/Tom
Waits territory, while his tightly coiled vibrato leans toward Chris
Isaak and Lyle Lovett. Musically, Saunders runs the gamut from
impassioned hush (“The Rain on 8th Avenue”) to manic howl (“Side of
Sane”), without ever forgetting the seductive power that links the two.
On THE EMERGENCY LANE, Saunders strikes a subtle yet clearly defined
balance between the surreal and the mundane, between dramatic and
histrionic, between haunted and haunting, while maintaining a well
grounded foot in each camp.”
IN LOS ANGELES
Paul V
"On
his third CD, Saunders collaborates with players who've worked with
Bowie, Beck and Rufus Wainwright for AN EMOTIONALLY BEAUTIFUL BATCH OF
SONGS. Think Jeff Buckley meets Joni Mitchell!"
HIGH
BIAS
Michael Toland
"I'm
not familiar with Dudley Saunders, and after listening to THE EMERGENCY
LANE, his third album, I'm surprised that's the case. Simply put, the
guy's got talent in spades. He's an appealing singer, with David
Crosby's vocal tone and Jeff Buckley's soaring cadences, and a strong
songwriter and arranger, with tunes boasting memorable melodies and
lush, folk-pop textures. Plus he's a smart guy with an unflinching eye
on politics, artistic freedom, romance and a life lived underground.
The sound of these songs is so beautifully seductive you'll notice too
late that you're swaying dreamily to a song called "Love Song for
Jeffrey Dahmer" or "Jesus Didn't Love Us Enough." It's not all caustic
wit, though, as Saunders saves some of his most affecting performances
for more poetic tunes like "Seventeen" and the a cappella "The
Wagoner's Lad." Nice."
FLAVORPILL
J.H.
"Indie-rocker
Dudley Saunders writes "postmodern" folk songs with the haunting
imagery of classic Joni Mitchell, the vocal purity of Jeff Buckley, and
a lyrical canvas that screams Cat Power. On his affecting new CD, THE
EMERGENCY LANE, Saunders collaborates with an impressive roster of
artists, including players from the bands of Leonard Cohen, David
Bowie, Rufus Wainwright, and Beck. While he trips to dark places,
Saunders' music is less about surviving love and life and more about
the journey. Tonight, the illuminating artist previews new songs at the
ever-intimate Hotel Cafe."
SMOTHER.NET
J-Sin
"Dudley
Saunders is one of the most talented singer/songwriters you will ever
stumble across. His music (on THE EMERGENCY LANE) is surprisingly deep
and offers a breadth of expansive sounds that most indie folksters
don't dare touch. These are folk songs that are completely and
holistically outside of the box!"
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