Melaena Cadiz: Rattle the Windows
Melaena Cadiz
Rattle the Windows
(Self-released)
Sometimes what you really need is to get back to the basics with a bit of finger-plucked guitar and vocals that aren’t touched by distortion or autotuning. Fans of folk-tinged acts like Laura Marling and Martha Wainwright can appreciate the warm tones of Melaena Cadiz’s record, which is deserving of great distribution and a burgeoning fanbase. The elements of Cadiz’s songs are so basic that they sound like they could be played in rocking chairs pulled up to a crackling fireplace.
The lap steel and bass on “Clay Pigeons†flirts with old country sounds without going too far in that direction, while “Falling Down†contains strings that lend a Celtic air to the track. “Rattle the Windows†seems to be a mission statement in which Cadiz announces that she’ll “shake all the doors off their hinges.â€
On this album, there’s force and then quiet, as many gusts of wind as there are moments of tranquility. Cadiz can whip up a frenzy and then soothe it with the gentle tones of her voice. The old-timey gramophone sound of the album’s closer, “Cold Cold River,†makes it seem like the album ends far too soon. Hopefully she will have many more songs to share sooner rather than later.