Cary Caitlin - Waltzie

Recorded and released as a precursor to her debut album, which is scheduled to follow sometime next year; the recent announcement of Whiskeytown’s break up and the praise deservedly lavished upon Ryan Adams subsequent solo debut ‘Heartbreaker’ have probably focused more attention on 'Waltzie' than Caitlin Cary had originally anticipated. Along with Ryan Adams, Caitlin Cary was the only constant throughout Whiskeytown’s relatively short often-troubled existence. A vital part of the band’s make up, Caitlin’s Cary’s superbly expressive voice, sadly rarely heard on lead, and her exemplary fiddle playing were an integral part of Whiskeytown’s sound, something obviously acknowledged by the prodigious and precocious talent that is Ryan Adams. Performing live recently, billed as The Caitlin Cary Band, she seemed at times reluctant to take centre stage, letting guitarist and former Whiskeytown member Mike Daly perform almost as much of his own material, albeit with Cary supplying beautiful backing vocals and excellent fiddle in support. They played most of ‘Waltzie’ live; the songs seemed far stronger and more fully realised in this context than their recorded counterparts. Featuring just five tracks ‘Waltzie’ should be by, Cary’s own admission, regarded as a “work-in-progress”. Produced by former dB, Chris Stamey, the songs themselves are very good, but lack the greater warmth and subtlety they have since gained from being performed regularly live. However it wouldn’t be the first time that an artist has sounded better live than in the studio and as the performance I witnessed was so exceptional, I think it would be only fair to regard ‘Waltzie’ as a work that demonstrates great promise. Based on Caitlin Cary’s live performances we should probably expect more from her studio output in the future. A departure from Whiskeytown who often pursued a more energetic and punk influenced take on country, 'Waltzie' in contrast finds Caitlin integrating more traditional styles into her material, both country and folk. The best tracks featured here are ‘Rosemary Moore’ a heartfelt plea to a woman to welcome the liberation from an unhappy marriage as a result of her partners death and the wonderful, living room recording of the Richard & Linda Thompson classic, Withered & Died. Whatever its few shortcomings, having had the pleasure of seeing Caitlin Cary perform these songs live, her potential is plainly evident and ‘Waltzie’ is certainly an appetiser for the album to follow which I think will be a very fulfilling proposition. And following the demise of Whiskeytown I think that we’ll see the emergence of not one, but at the very least two major talents from this most revered of bands.