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Send $17 for US or Canada or
$20 for outside US or Canada to:
Chris Dingman
1937 Delaware St. # C
Berkeley, CA 94709
Reviews of Heartbreak Sampler
"Superlative lyrical angst and
heartbreak... "
—Americana-UK
"The lyrics are a literary tour de force..."
—Rootstime.be
“Every melody sticks in your mind.”
—Country Home
"Strikes the nerve with absolute
authenticity."
—Home-of-Rock.de
“An emotionally powerful piece.”
—Highbias.com
"Dingman is at the peak of his game..."
—HickswithSticks.com
“Manages to satisfyingly apply a pop sensibility to admirably honest
writing.”
—Popmatters.com
for full reviews, click on the
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Heartbreak Sampler at CDBaby.
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Crooked Roads' debut CD click here to go to
Love, Again
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Comments from Listeners
I was enjoying it so
much I didn't want to stop driving till I had finished it. I love your
music.
—Michael Borkow, LA, CA
"It's
brilliant work."
Bob Pierce, Lynnfield, MA
I
think what's great about a CD, for me, is feeling like I can really hear the
honest (even brutally honest) voice of the writer/singer, and that really
comes through on your CD.
Laura Gomez, Phoenix, AZ
“I think it is wonderful! I want to send one to
each of my sons.”
Raleigh Buckmaster, Lansing, IA
“I
really enjoyed it..."
Steve Shultz, Fresno, CA
"I love your lyrics.”
Mike Hazen, Grayslake, IL.
“I really liked the CD! I listened to it, like, 10 times.”
Bob Neer, New York, NY
"That is a hell of a good CD you put together. I’ve really enjoyed listening
to it.
Helmut Fickenwirth, Hingham, MA
"I've been fortunate enough to work with a few songwriters over the past
year. All were talented, but I'm most proud of the project I did with you."
Gary Lamb, Heartbreak Sampler
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Americana-UK Review:
“Superlative lyrical angst and heartbreak”
It’s rare to come across such an honest
songwriter as Chris Dingman (for it is he). “I'm not interested in telling
stories, or trying to write from some other character's perspective. I write
to explore and express my inner life” Dingman says. That honesty pervades
“Heartbreak Sampler”, which is a frank, painful and resigned look at the
single life. But it’s an uplifting album, partly in the way that only
honestly expressed pain can be, but partly because of the way Dingman has
with a melody and the killer lines with which every track is filled.
Take “Too Long”, a gorgeous slice of pop that nails his wistful recognition
of what he’s missing and longing for. “Everybody’s looking for their soulmate/But I just wish I had someone to call when I’m running late” sings
Dingman in the middle of a list of all the things he’s missing. Or consider
“Goddamn Wonderful World”, which ends “Used to wake up beside you/and
sometimes you’d bring me coffee in bed/And now I can’t think of nothin’ to
say ‘cept what’s already been said.” Or Long White Robe's opening verse –
“They say an angel’s watching you/all the fucking time/Even when you’re
showering/or you’ve had too much wine/It sounds a little creepy/and I don’t
think I’m buying/’cuz all the angels I see/never pay me any mind”. Or…well
you get the idea. “Heartbreak Sampler” doesn’t have a duff line, not an
ounce of lyrical fat or filler, just honest sentiments pared down to the
bone, then scraped away a little more to reveal the universal truths
underneath.
And then there’s the music. “What if Hank Williams grew up listening to the
Beatles?” asks Dingman on his website, and you can see what he means. Plenty
of fiddle and pedal steel (but not too much), and simple unembellished
arrangements that say all that needs to be said without being pushy. It’s a
classic sound, the sound of loneliness, but filtered through a pop
sensibility.
Amongst the gloom there is a ray of light. “I used to look for someone/who
could reel me in/Now I look in the mirror/and I’m staring right at him”
sings Dingman on closing track “New Eyes”. Given the avowedly personal
nature of “Heartbreak Sampler” one can only offer an “Amen” to that, and
also the hope that he doesn’t lose his muse along the way, because that
truly would be a tragedy.
Date review added: Friday, March 24, 2006
Reviewer: Jeremy Searle
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