There are certain qualities that the piano brings to music, especially to the less adorned spaces of the singer-songwriter, that are not found in more guitar-driven sounds. The broader range of notes offers greater expressive potential, more precise sound separation, and often more complex chord patterns that add additional ornateness to even the most understated pieces. And these are all found running through North Star, the second album from Kaitlin Cassady,
It perhaps comes as no surprise that she comes from a jazz background, and the music here perfectly bridges the modern end of that world and the traditions of the singer-songwriter; reference points including icons such as Carole King and Norah Jones, but also more recent artists such as Phoebe Bridgers, and Kacey Musgraves.
“Evermore” brilliantly sets the tone, built on a wave of lush vocal textures and driven by a simple, brushed beat, but essentially a gorgeous duet between voice and piano. And this compelling yet straightforward sound is the basis of the album.
Other sounds occasionally color the edges of the music, and again, apart from Paul Cassady’s bass and Milo Weil’s delicate cello & violin, it is all Kaitlin.
“Meloncholy Daydreams” echoes with the sound of earlier times, a wonderfully pathos-soaked piece, reflective and emotive. “Time of My Life” is one of those rare things —a love song that is actually tear-inducing —and the final offering, “Save My Life,” is the sort of song I can imagine The Carpenters having written. I know that isn’t the coolest of references these days, but given Richard’s compositional prowess and his sister’s vocal brilliance, I think it anyone who knows music would be happy with that.
North Star is a gorgeous album, one that reminds us that, of course, less is more, but when the less is actually innovative arrangements of ornate, intricate, and clever instrumentation, it is so much more than even that cliched phrase suggests.
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