Singer/songwriter
Toni Brown is also the publisher of the California music history magazine Relix, and is not to be confused with the former lead singer of the '70s country-rock band
Joy of Cooking. On
Dare to Dream,
Brown displays an obvious affection for
the Grateful Dead (she covers the Altamont commentary "New Speedway Boogie"),
the Flying Burrito Brothers (
Burrito Brother John Beland is her producer), and
Quicksilver Messenger Service (dig the lengthy guitar solos that unfold in "Broken Record"), and she improbably covers
George Gershwin's "Summertime." But
Brown manages to not sound like some tired hippie mama reliving the glory days of the jam band scene. She's a dusky-voiced singer with a sensitive ear for phrasing and a good ear for covers, absolutely transforming
Blind Faith's "Can't Find My Way Home" and turning
the Coasters' "I'm a Hog for You" into a sassy roadhouse blues in a
Lou Ann Barton style.
Brown is less surefooted when it comes to the handful of originals, though the title track does come over like a psychedelic
Sheryl Crow.
Dare to Dream isn't exactly a world beater, but you'll never see Jann Wenner make an album this good. ~ Stewart Mason