The Bluff (album) explained

The Bluff
Type:studio
Artist:Sarah Dougher
Cover:Sarah Dougher - The Bluff.png
Border:yes
Released:2001
Genre:Rock
Length:40:20
Label:Mr. Lady
Prev Title:The Walls Ablaze
Prev Year:2000
Next Title:Harper's Arrow
Next Year:2005

The Bluff is an album by the American musician Sarah Dougher, released in 2001.[1] [2] Dougher supported it with North American and Australian tours.[3] [4]

Production

Dougher and Jon Nikki played most of the instruments on The Bluff.[5] Janet Weiss drummed on several of the tracks.[6] Dougher's Cadallaca bandmate Corin Tucker contributed backing vocals to "Must Believe"; the album is dedicated to her son.[7] "It's Raining" is a cover of the Allen Toussaint song made famous by Irma Thomas.[8]

Critical reception

Greil Marcus, in The New York Times, wrote: "On The Walls Ablaze, Ms. Dougher's voice was tensed, armored; that was a source of its force. But it was a force used as a weapon, for a purpose, and as it focused the songs it also narrowed them. Here Ms. Dougher relaxes into her own, physical sound, and the music becomes less specific, less purposeful—less about her."[9] The Oregonian labeled The Bluff "13 defiantly simple compositions of guitar, organ and drums, overlaid with Dougher's signature alto."[10] The Orange County Register noted "the bruising of heartbreak stripped bare for microscopic examination, while soothing, catchy melodies emanate from the lab next door."[11]

The Washington Post concluded that "the highlight is the psychedelic-folk-rock title song, a game-of-love reminiscence with a lilting refrain."[12] The Village Voice said that, "befitting an academic who moonlights as a rock 'n' roller, Dougher's songs are finely wrought, with pop-classicist melodies even more eloquent than their extended metaphors."[13] Pitchfork determined that The Bluff "is an easy album to digest, cleaner, more cautious, and less raw than Dougher's previous, The Walls Ablaze... The edge primarily exists in the contrast between Dougher's earthy, plaintive vocal quality and the tidy lines in the songs." The Austin American-Statesman and Riverfront Times listed The Bluff among the best albums of 2001.[14] [15]

AllMusic praised the "deeply bare, honest, and piercing ruminations on the struggle to balance intellect and emotion and finding hope and healing amid love's losses."

Notes and References

  1. Gdula . Steve . Legends of the fall: Music: Pop . . September 25, 2001 . 847 . 45.
  2. Martin . Kristy . Reviews . CMJ New Music Report . Nov 19, 2001 . 69 . 740 . 12.
  3. News: Ehrbar . Joe . Singer-songwriter Sarah Dougher... . . November 9, 2001 . What's Happening . 7.
  4. News: Carew . Anthony . The Bluff . . May 10, 2002 . Entertainment Guide . 7.
  5. News: Charbonneau . Lisa . Sarah Dougher The Bluff . . January 10, 2002 . Music.
  6. Huwig . Pam . Listen to the Music . Lesbian News . November 2001 . 27 . 4 . 39.
  7. Web site: Zwirn . Michael . Sarah Dougher . Trouser Press . May 31, 2024.
  8. News: Garcia . Gilbert . Pretty Vacant . . January 3, 2002 . Music.
  9. News: Marcus . Greil . In Her Songs, She Puts Everything on the Line . . November 25, 2001 . 2.29.
  10. News: Henderson . Harvest . Defiant and Detached, Vulnerable and Vocal . . 30 Nov 2001 . Arts and Entertainment . 55.
  11. News: Wener . Ben . Pick of the Week . . January 25, 2002 . Show . 6.
  12. News: Jenkins . Mark . Sarah Dougher 'The Bluff' . . March 22, 2002 . WW6.
  13. News: Hampton . Howard . The Bluff . . 47 . 5 . February 5, 2002 . 62.
  14. News: Salamon . Jeff . Top 10 Albums of 2001 That You Didn't Hear . Austin American-Statesman . December 27, 2001 . XLENT . 26.
  15. News: Spencer Saller . René . List-omania . . December 26, 2001 . Music News & Interviews.