In the end this wasn’t a difficult choice, we’re by no means hardcore Country aficionados at Essex Boy Review but we are most definitely open to a great album when it comes along and this is clearly one of those. And best of all, listening to it for the first time brought with it one of those all too rare eureka moments you experience when an album by a new artist hits the spot in all the right ways. Strangest of all was how that first listen kept holding back so many aces. The first track ‘Learnin’ To Ride’ came and went and I’m thinking OK I’ll carry on, mid-tempo Country ballad, nice voice and feel but maybe nothing incredible. But then I enjoyed the second track slightly more, then track three arrives and I’m kind of assuming that’ll be the peak because the tunes aren’t going to keep on getting better...but they do! Track five ‘New York City’ has another gear, a shift into heavenly chord changes and things are even starting to swing. This is getting impossible to turn away from. And that’s what happens across all ten tracks, this album hits a peak early on and somehow just maintains it until the gentle waves of rockabilly that appeared out of nowhere on final track ‘Coming Up’ have crashed and burned. You can’t believe what you’ve just heard so you go back and start again. Then perhaps a third or fourth time by which you can confidently attest that Caitlin Rose really is this good and that this is a sensational album. I can’t say it’s down to one thing in particular; the songs are going to pass the test of time for sure and her voice is still blessed with that raw abandon that sometimes gets ironed out later in a career. The sound is Country, not Americana, it’s a pure form of Country and as such the shades of Folk and Rock that appear are perfectly apt. Also, by not outstaying its welcome you are guaranteed to always want more. So if its justifiable to crown an album of the year based on brilliant first impressions, maintained and undimmed levels of pleasure after countless plays and an appetite to keep on listening then ‘Own Side Now’ is the genuine top of the pile for us in 2010. Hopefully, if you haven’t already heard it, you can get stuck in below and have the same reaction as us. Happy New Year!! Saturday 1 January 2011
ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2010 No. 1 – CAITLIN ROSE – Own Side Now
In the end this wasn’t a difficult choice, we’re by no means hardcore Country aficionados at Essex Boy Review but we are most definitely open to a great album when it comes along and this is clearly one of those. And best of all, listening to it for the first time brought with it one of those all too rare eureka moments you experience when an album by a new artist hits the spot in all the right ways. Strangest of all was how that first listen kept holding back so many aces. The first track ‘Learnin’ To Ride’ came and went and I’m thinking OK I’ll carry on, mid-tempo Country ballad, nice voice and feel but maybe nothing incredible. But then I enjoyed the second track slightly more, then track three arrives and I’m kind of assuming that’ll be the peak because the tunes aren’t going to keep on getting better...but they do! Track five ‘New York City’ has another gear, a shift into heavenly chord changes and things are even starting to swing. This is getting impossible to turn away from. And that’s what happens across all ten tracks, this album hits a peak early on and somehow just maintains it until the gentle waves of rockabilly that appeared out of nowhere on final track ‘Coming Up’ have crashed and burned. You can’t believe what you’ve just heard so you go back and start again. Then perhaps a third or fourth time by which you can confidently attest that Caitlin Rose really is this good and that this is a sensational album. I can’t say it’s down to one thing in particular; the songs are going to pass the test of time for sure and her voice is still blessed with that raw abandon that sometimes gets ironed out later in a career. The sound is Country, not Americana, it’s a pure form of Country and as such the shades of Folk and Rock that appear are perfectly apt. Also, by not outstaying its welcome you are guaranteed to always want more. So if its justifiable to crown an album of the year based on brilliant first impressions, maintained and undimmed levels of pleasure after countless plays and an appetite to keep on listening then ‘Own Side Now’ is the genuine top of the pile for us in 2010. Hopefully, if you haven’t already heard it, you can get stuck in below and have the same reaction as us. Happy New Year!! 
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment