SERA CAHOONE —DEER CREEK CANYON (Sub Pop)

[Maurice Hope]

http://www.subpop.com

 

Born and raised in the foothills of Colorado and now residing in Seattle, singer-songwriter, musician Sera Cahoone is a polished performer. Her deft combining of someone yearning for the place of his or her youth and life in the present sees the album, dovetail effortlessly into position.

 

Showing much guile Cahoone’s music and singing washes over the listener in seamless fashion. As she speaks of separation from the love of her life and love gone cold on ‘Rumpshaker’ (on which Sera plays some effective harmonica) plus of course there is pangs of longing for the place where she came of age, Deer Creek Canyon, Colorado. The song attributed to this is a jaunty piece, and the album’s title-track ‘Deer Creek Canyon’. It possesses a few traits akin to those of Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings. Such is her work on vocals, drums and guitar that in turn are assisted by Jeff Fielder (guitar). 

 

In an effort to point the listener in the right direction regards how Sera Cahoone sounds, the group Hem readily comes to mind (as in the likes of the wistful and beautifully spun ‘And Still We Move’; as her singing aided by among other things, pedal steel (Jason Kardong). ‘Naked’ with banjo, pedal steel, drums, guitar and violin (Sarah Standard) and then with a keener urgency for four off the belt cuts she calls on Neal Casal on electric guitar (who takes time off from working with Ryan Adams) to join the party as Cahoone and the band ease through ‘One To Blame’ that has her speak of remorse on seeking redemption.

 

Not afraid to go solo as on ‘Shakin’ Hands’ and the simply picked ‘Oh My’ I am of the impression we are seeing the emergence of an act set to go on to greater things; and no little thanks is due to the work of her long-time band of Kardong, Fielder, Jonas Haskins (bass), Jason Merculief (drums), Standard (plus Tomo Nakayama, piano, organ and Emily Ann Peterson, cello) who pull together superbly.  

 

                                                               Maurice Hope