CD Odyssey Disc 1378: Sera Cahoone

Sheila often talks about clothing as armour, but today I experienced clothing as camouflage. On my walk home from work I go through some sketchy parts of town. In a suit it can feel a little awkward (and I probably make the residents awkward as well). Today I changed into shorts and a workout shirt and felt far more at ease.

What does this have to do with music, you ask? Nothing at all. Just sharing.

Disc 1378 is…. From Where I Started

Artist: Sera Cahoone

Year of Release: 2017

What’s up with the Cover? Um…nothing? We have the usual font/signature she uses for many other album covers, and not much else. Maybe “From Where I Started” refers to a time when she couldn’t afford album art…?

How I Came To Know It: I am a big Sera Cahoone fan, so this was just me eagerly buying her latest release as soon as I heard about it.

How It Stacks Up: I have four Sera Cahoone albums and they are all good. “From Where I Started” is brilliant, landing at a respectable second place, a shade off the perfection of “Deer Creek Canyon”. Here’s a full accounting:

1. Deer Creek Canyon: 5 stars (reviewed at Disc 975)
2. From Where I Started: 4 stars (reviewed right here)
3. Only as the Day is Long: 4 stars (reviewed at Disc 943)
4. Self-Titled: 3 stars (reviewed at Disc 1324)

Ratings: 4 stars but almost 5

Sera Cahoone is the siren of sadness; she’s going to make you feel a little melancholy before the album’s over, but it is going to sound so beautiful you’re drawn to the experience anyway.

“From Where I Started” was the first new release from Cahoone in five years, but it was worth the wait. Along the way her sound got a bit brighter and more distinct. This additional lightness works well with the natural dusky moodiness of her voice. Her songs can be as gloomy, but the spring of the banjo, the violin, and the pedal steel offset this to give the songs what every good piece of art needs, a little tension.

Cahoone’s guitar playing (or Jeff Fielder’s – the liner notes are sparse) is also exceptional. The songs vary in tempo and tone and the playing underscores and reinforces each songwriting decision. Sometimes there is a basic strum and sometimes it is a playful picking pattern, but it always feels exactly right. The guitar is the unacknowledged hero of “From Where I Started” a trusty steed that carries you through every song’s narrative, enriching the journey so smoothly you only notice it when you want to.

Even when she guests in on the banjo, Cahoone is a star. On the touching love song “Up to Me” the inspired guitar plucking takes centre stage, but it is Cahoone’s hesitant and romantically awkward banjo bits that elevate the song into a vulnerable, human expression of affection. The banjo doesn’t sound brash and self-assured like banjos often do. Instead it feels like it is working up the courage to say “I love you” and hoping it won’t be rejected.

In terms of subject matter, Cahoone takes her usual introspective journey through relationships, self-doubt and – just when you think your heart’s gonna break – a little domestic bliss.

“Always Turn Around” is an internal journey, and “Better Woman” is a song about appreciating your partner, the more so when you aren’t your perfect self and they love you anyway. The aforementioned “Up To Me” is all shy winks and kisses in the rosegarden. It would be precious, if it weren’t so perfect.

As with most of Cahoone’s records, there are a couple of Grade A heartbreakers. “Ladybug” is the true story of the murder of Cahoone’s niece Tawnee Baird at the hands of her abusive girlfriend. The song opens with a gut punch:

“Tawnee you had just turned 21

When I got the call sayin’ you were gone”

And then goes on to express every emotion of regret and sadness you can muster in 3:22, including a haunting image of Tawnee’s traumatized cat hiding under the bed for two weeks after the murder.

On “Taken Its Toll” Cahoone sings of a relationship ending in the more traditional way; the dull ache and terror of what comes next. The song choked me up every time I heard it (I even cried once).

All this emotional toll didn’t deter me, though; I listened to this album four times straight and could have easily done five. I didn’t want to stop, but the tide was in and the Odyssey was calling me on.

Best tracks: Always Turn Around, Better Woman, Ladybug, Up To Me, Taken Its Toll, Only One, Not Like I, Tables Turned

CD Odyssey Disc 1324: Sera Cahoone

I had resolved to get three reviews in this week, but a combination of pre-Christmas socializing and a very short walk to and from work held me to two.

I’m not complaining, however. It is hard to be upset about either seeing friends or getting home early.

Disc 1324 is… Self Titled

Artist: Sera Cahoone

Year of Release: 2006

What’s up with the Cover? Part of a photo of Sera Cahoone. She appears to be in a car – maybe she’s blindfolded and being taken to a surprise party! We’ll never know though, because of that decision to crop the photo. It does appear that she’s not wearing a seatbelt though, so if there’s a crash it will be one hell of buzz kill for the people waiting to surprise her. They’ll probably call the whole thing off, and head for the emergency room. And in all the hubbub the damned shrimp ring will be left out and end up going off, or get eaten by the cat, cat’s being notorious for never letting a crisis get in the way of a good meal.

But I digress…

How I Came to Know It: It was a bit of an adventure. I got to know this album when I was digging through Cahoone’s discography back in 2016. She only had three records then, and I quickly bought the other two, but do you think I could find her debut album? No reader, I could not.

That’s not entirely true. I found it on Amazon with one of those Amazon jacked-up prices they employ when they can no longer get something from a distributor. I think it must have been $100 or something ridiculous. If you resort to buying online, don’t fall for that trick and assume you can’t find it elsewhere.

I did find it elsewhere, for sale direct from Cahoone's website. This time the price was reasonable (maybe…$20 US?) but the shipping was some enormous amount, like another $10 US. That and the exchange rate put an end to that approach as well.

But I am a patient man, and I kept this damned record on my “to get” list for the past three years. Then, when I went to Portland earlier this year there it was; a used copy just sitting on the shelf, waiting for me to arrive. All is now right with the world.

How It Stacks Up:  With the addition of her 2017 release "From Where I Started"  have four Sera Cahoone albums, which is all of them so far. Of those, I put this self-titled effort in at #4. It is good, but someone had to be last.

Ratings: 3 stars but almost 4

Bill Withers once said “if you’re gonna do it, do it good.” He had quite a laundry list of things you could attempt on that song, but I think the underlying message was that you should put some focus into whatever specific thing you’re doing, and then excel at it.

On Sera Cahoone’s debut album, she has seemingly taken Withers’ advice, sticking to a few basic ingredients in her music: simple strum patterns on guitar, vocals that are confident but never strident, and even production that lets you take it in on your own terms. And yes, she does it good.

In structure the songs are country music, but if you aren’t sure there is plenty of mournful pedal and lap steel to confirm your suspicions. However, the introspective whisper she applies to instruments and vocals alike reveal that Cahoone has the soul of a folk singer.

Whether it’s folk or country, don’t expect displays of virtuosity on the acoustic guitar strums. A former drummer, Cahoone understands the percussive importance of guitar, and on these songs it reminded me of a mandolin in a bluegrass song, holding the rhythm so everything else – banjo, violin, steel guitar – can flare up around it with little splashes of light here and there.

Cahoone’s vocals are earthy and ethereal, landing emotionally somewhere between a couple discussing their relationship as they put dishes away and the snug of a crocheted blanket on a winter night. These are songs that scream “cabin in the woods”. Not the murderous kind that Josh Whedon introduced us to mind you, but rather the idyllic kind. The kind with a warm glow from the fire in the hearth and snow on the roof. The kind you’ll be seeing on some of the cheaper Christmas cards you’ll be receiving soon in the mail – but obviously nicer.

I did wish that Cahoone’s vocals would be higher in the mix, but that’s not her style. If you want to hear what secrets she’s telling you, you’ll have to pay attention. Unfortunately, the songs lope along so free and easy, they encouraged my mind to wander. Sometimes I was straining to hear what Cahoone was saying, and sometimes the tune let my mind wander to other places. I’d like to think those wanderings had an emotional connection to the song playing at the time, but I can’t be sure.

One song that did stand out lyrically, was “Couch Song” which was one of those ‘snug in a blanket’ moments that was less than idyllic. Cahoone sings:

“If we don't talk

I won't mind
'Cause it's the only way
To get along sometime”

Cahoone reminds us that sometimes a relationship needs to let a little silence reign. One day I hope to figure this out. For now, silence is not my strong suit.

However, if you want a crash course in how to be a little quieter and find some wisdom in the gentle curves of your mind, then listening to this record is a fine way to practice. It’ll all be over in a tasteful ten songs and 36 minutes, but I encourage you to go back and play it again. Your mind probably wandered a couple times in there.

Best tracks: Nowhere to Be Found, Last Time, Couch Song, I’m On Your Side, What a Shame

CD Odyssey Disc 975: Sera Cahoone

I felt out of sorts today, without being able to put my finger on why. Fortunately this next album’s somber thoughtful songs were just the right balm for my restless energy.

Disc 975 is…Deer Creek Canyon

Artist: Sera Cahoone

Year of Release: 2012

What’s up with the Cover? Sera sits in the woods. This scene reminds me of the kind of coniferous forests I grew up near. I’m a city boy now, but every now and then I miss a long walk in the woods.

How I Came To Know It: I read a review of this album in a music magazine (I forget which). When I checked out the music I liked it even more and ordered both this record and 2008’s “Only As the Day is Long” (reviewed back at Disc 943) through my local record store. Support your local record store!

How It Stacks Up:  Cahoone has made three albums so far (a fourth is being released in March). Her self-titled debut is hard to find, so I only have two: “Only As the Day Is Long” and “Deer Creek Canyon.” Of the two, I put “Deer Creek Canyon” first. I’m looking forward to seeing if the soon to be released “From Where I Started” can challenge it.

Ratings: 5 stars

“Deer Creek Canyon” is an album that puts you in a state of contemplative grace. It isn’t like your troubles are gone though. They are very much still there, summoned like ghosts by Cahoone’s high ethereal voice. Rather, it is like being in the enchanted forest on the cover where it isn’t exactly safe to wander in there, but the discoveries are worth the risk.

This is a record that sounds like an evening confessional, full of the doubts and fears and hopes you only have the bravery to speak aloud when the light is low. When most of us express ourselves in those moments it is halting and uncertain, in a voice so quiet that our companions might ask us to repeat it, but we don’t dare.

Cahoone does dare, and while her voice is soft it is equal parts certain. She knows exactly what makes her shiver, and she’s not afraid to share it with the world. For all this, the album never feels gloomy or self-absorbed. “Nervous Wreck” is a good example, When Cahoone sings “I’ll be alright but I’m a nervous wreck” she makes it clear she’s feeling awkward and troubled, but she knows deep down things are going to be OK. Musically, the song is the perfect match for the words, tripping forward with a skittering energy on front of the beat. Cahoone sings “I’m a nervous wreck” as the melody resolves almost perfectly – but not quite.

My favourite example of this is on the title track, a rolling piece of perfection that feels like a trip out to sea at night. Cahoone sings:

“All the love I have here sometimes it’s just not enough.

Forget you in the summer by fall I always want you back

Oh the mountains are red and the rock fallin’ down”

With the melody falling down with regret at the end of each line, before a frail line of hope lifts the tune and she sings:

“and I know you’re right

I should just take a little time

Deer Creek Canyon’s where I’m from.”

And the way the tune walks down as she names the titular location you realize everything is going to be OK. It is that deep relaxation you get when you sink into your favourite chair, or sip your favourite whiskey, or just come home from a little restless wandering. I can feel the tension flow out of me just hearing her sing that line. I don’t know if Deer Creek Canyon is real or just an artistic construction, but in that moment it isn’t just real, its home.

Cahoone’s vulnerability is like a tangible thing on this record, a hunger that feeds her. On “Anyway You Like” when she sings: “’Cause I’m already in your life so take me anyway you like/I’m right in front of you” it is the sexiest thing you’ll ever hear, but it’ll just make you want to give her a hug.

This is a quiet record, and often with those kinds of records I find it takes a few listens and a lot of alone time for them to sink in. Not here, though – from the first bars of the record’s opening track, “Worry All Your Life,” I felt like I was listening to a longtime friend. The record is filled with wisdom, wrapped around purposeful but unforced melodies that catch your attention without ever shouting.

The opening song challenges you with:

“How you gonna grow if you don’t know you’re dragging you down

You’ll waste the rest of your days if you worry all your life.”

It sounds like an admonishment standing stark on the page, but actually it’s just the record gently shaking you awake. “Deer Creek Canyon” invites you to look around, see both the forest and the trees, and stop worrying about which one you’re supposed to be looking at.

Best tracks: All tracks

CD Odyssey Disc 943: Sera Cahoone

I have had one of those days that was so bad it wasn’t a case of me eating dinner late, it was a case of me not eating dinner at all. It is 9:00 p.m. and I’m too worn out to care.

Despite all this my desire to write about music lives on, like a corpse’s fingernails, long after my brain has turned to mush…

Or not. That first bit is what I wrote last night before I curled up on the couch and fell asleep watching a bad Chinese action comedy. Sometimes even my corpse fingernails need a break. With a bit of sleep under my belt, and daylight (at least as much as winter will allow) seeping through the window, I’m ready to give it another shot.

Disc 943 is….Only As the Day is Long

Artist: Sera Cahoone

Year of Release: 2008

What’s up with the Cover? An eagle on a bouquet of flowers. I imagine there was a garden wedding and the bride closed her eyes and tosses the bouquet high in the air only to have an eagle swoop down and carry it off. No bridesmaid would find love that day, my friends, but all is not lost in the world of romance: eagles mate for life.

How I Came To Know It: I don’t actually remember, but since I took this album from my “new music” section it can’t have been that long ago. I think I read an article about her in a songwriter magazine and looked her up on line. Finding her albums locally was impossible so…I asked my local record store to order them in! Old school! Support your local record store!

How It Stacks Up:  I have two Sera Cahoone albums (she has three but her eponymous debut is devilishly hard to come by). Of the two I have, “Only As The Day Is Long” comes in second. It may yet come in first, but I have a feeling that “Deer Creek Canyon” is going to edge it by a nose.

Ratings: 4 stars

This somber and thoughtful record was the perfect soundtrack for my last two days, giving me a quiet place for introspection as life presented a series of challenges, as life is wont to do.

Sera Cahoone is one of those “indie” acts who blend folk, country and rock elements. She reminded me at times of both Blue Rodeo and Cowboy Junkies and I wouldn’t be surprised if she was secretly Canadian. She’s actually from Washington State, which is about as Canadian as America gets. Like the Cowboy Junkies, Cahoone falls closer to folk and country, with songs that feature soft guitar strumming and touches of banjo and steel guitar drawing a melodic line through the slow roll of the guitar strings.

Cahoone is a late bloomer, making her first album in 2005 at the tender age of 30. “Only as the Day is Long” came out three years later and it shows the wisdom and craft of a musician who has been at it for a while. At their core, these songs incorporate very old country and bluegrass structures but Cahoone makes them current, juxtaposing classic steel guitar runs with meandering melodies that sound dreamy and disorienting at times, but always walk you safely home in the end. It’s called “resolution” and many indie bands that choose to end their songs with clashing and clangor could learn a lot from Cahoone’s songwriting skills.

Cahoone has an accomplished background as a drummer (even playing briefly with Band of Horses, which is a bit of a thing in the indie world). The drums aren’t high in the mix on “Only as the Day is Long” but the way Cahoone uses percussive sounds in general shows her understanding of its importance. The beats serve the songs, and the guitar is played in a way that sometimes enhances the percussion, sometimes replaces it, and sometimes plays off it, as the song demands.

She has a breathy vocal style that makes you feel like she does a lot of her singing while staring at the rain. She sings with an edge of sadness, but there is a lot of soothing, reassuring qualities as well. A good example is “You’re Not Broken” a reassuring song to someone who is being weighed down by life:

“All this wondering how and why

Has made me lose a little heart

Oh you got it right

You're just still there aching and there's nothing I can do

“I don't mean to sound unkind

But it's driving me mad

To see you walking so slowed down”

This song also shows how adept a songwriter Cahoone is. Its foundation is a five note guitar piece that walks you down but feels like it is missing a couple of notes. It isn’t jarring so much as…incomplete. Later, violin and guitar pieces offset this with full melodies, underscoring the song’s themes of damage, and the promise of hope and restoration.

Many of the songs are about relationships, particularly ones where there is trial or trouble. Things can be rocky at times, but as Cahoone notes on a later track, “I’ll just keep tryin’ to make things alright.” At times it’s probably not a good idea, such as on “The Colder the Air” where she admits:

“I know, I know

What you got, it ain’t nothin’ I want.”

Sometimes it feels uncomfortable because you’re getting such a clear look into her fears and insecurities, and sometimes it is uncomfortable because it feels like she’s looking into yours. It’s OK, though; Cahoone’s soothing voice and keen understanding for how a song should unfold will give you comfort in whatever darkness you might find yourself.

Best tracks: You Might As Well, Baker Lake, Only as the Day is Long, You’re Not Broken, The Colder the Air, Seven Hours Later