Lacy J. Dalton describes her new single “Next to Me” as “male affirming.”
She breaks into song to explain further: “You won’t find him drinking at the table, rolling dice and staying out till 3/ You won’t ever find him being unfaithful, you will find him next to me.”
Dalton’s voice is ripe with the tragedies and triumphs of life experience, comforting in all its grittiness.
“Next to Me,” originally a pop hit in England penned by Emeli Sandé, celebrates the man who values commitment and fidelity, which Dalton believes the mainstream rarely acknowledges, something symptomatic of a bigger problem.
“I think the deterioration of the family is a really bad part of our society and we haven’t graduated to ‘It takes a village to raise a child,’” she explains. “It’s a lot easier for a woman to raise a child if she has a partner, and so many don’t.”
Dalton knows what it’s like to be a single mother. Her husband died when her son was a small boy. But she surrounded herself with loving people in similar situations in Santa Cruz.
Strength and survival are common motifs that run throughout the singer-songwriter’s entire catalog, which spans more than 20 records over the past four decades. They have helped make lifetime fans out of folks like Willie Nelson.
Dalton spent more than a year as Nelson’s opening act when she first broke into the business in the late 70s. In 1985, Nelson invited Dalton to sing “Slow Movin’ Outlaw” with him on his star-studded duets record Half Nelson. Dalton was the sole female on an album that includes legends Leon Russell, Neil Young and Ray Charles.
Like Nelson, Dalton is committed to saving wild horses, which brings her to the Aromas Community Grange on Sunday afternoon for a benefit show. In fact, she’s currently working on an album called Outlaw Country Songs that includes a cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Wild Horses.”
Dalton also has 17 new originals she’s itching to unleash once she raises the necessary funds through Kickstarter.
“Without any big record company behind me anymore, I need to get funding,” she says. “As soon as I get done with this tour, I’m going to make a little video begging for money.”
She may not align with a big record company, but she aligns with a big heart and a big voice. Besides, fundraising won’t be a problem once audiences experience what Willie does every time Dalton sings.
LACY J. DALTON performs 4:30pm Sunday, Dec. 13, at Aromas Community Grange, 400 Rose Ave., Aromas. $18/advance; $20/door. 726-7234, www.aromasgrange.org.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.