Meghan Cary - Building This House
2012, Meghan Cary
2012, Meghan Cary
Meghan Cary was Indie before Indie was cool. The former theater actress fell intosongwriting through personal tragedy in the late 1990?s. What began as catharsis and tribute to herthen-recently deceased fianc� turned into a win of Billboard Magazine?sCritics? Choice for Best Newcomer in1998. Cary was quickly drawn into thefolk scene, touring extensively and recording/releasing three criticallyacclaimed albums. Cary met her husband,Peter Farrell (The BlackTails) at a Meghan Cary show at CBGB?s Gallery, at atime when touring was becoming old hat. She settled down and built a home and a family, but music was neverreally gone from her life. Cary returnson January 31, 2012 with her first album in eight years, Building This House. A storyof recovery, rebuilding and ultimately, happiness, Building This House is a personal tale full of the resilience ofthe human spirit. And while Meghan Caryhas been rightly compared to the likes of Shawn Colvin, the Indigo Girls,Natalie Merchant and Stevie Nicks over the years, on Building This House she offers a voice that?s influenced by thoseabove, but distinctly her own.
Cary gets started with the title track, a refreshinglysmooth and mature piece of pop songwriting that?s an ode to family to be. Cary?s voice is mildly soulful, and thealmost harpsichord style sound from the synth gives this something of abaroque-pop ballad feel. ?Lost You InThe Light? is a brilliant marriage of poetry and music. Cary?s mildly soulful pop arrangement wrapsitself around lyrics about the human tendency to lose sight of what?s importantfrom time to time. This organic blend ofthought and muse reflects an artist who spends a lot of time inside her ownthoughts, yet still manages to convey the output in an artful manner. ?Responsibility? is a morality tale told froma personal perspective, reflecting on those we see around us in hardship everyday. The message is solid and poignantin difficult economic times, but the subject has been covered many times overwith more power. Nevertheless, thewonderfully jazzy piano work underscores an arrangement that will get this songsome attention.
?I Might Miss You? shows off Cary?s ear for melody in no uncertainterms. A song about discovering what youreally want after you?ve already cast it aside, the song?s theme unrolls inyour brain like it was always written there and therefore refuses to leave. This sort of honest, sweet love song isalways appealing, but Cary delivers it with a sincerity and simple power thatis compelling. Cary digs into adelicious blues/rock arrangement with lots of soul for ?Through Walking?. This catchy number builds slowly, and willlikely become a live favorite. It would benice to hear Cary open this one up a bit more vocally, but the song sits wellas delivered.
?Invitation? is a powerful love song that might be aboutopening your heart to love, or perhaps something a bit more carnal. Either way, Cary plays it straight andmanages to create one of the most intriguing listens of the newborn 2012. The compact pop/rock arrangement delivers thesong with an economy of style that allows the raw desire of the song to be thestar. ?Darker Song? is all about theunstable emotional ground that leads to a breakup. This woeful, haunting tunefinds Cary coming to terms with what her heart has known for some time. The universal appeal of this song will comefrom the fact that almost anyone who hears it will have been there once in theirlife, and Cary captures the moment in a near-perfect blend of poetry andmusical scenery.
?Moon Song? explores the complicated emotions that arisefrom learning a former love has moved on. In this case he is getting married. This is all about the emotional turmoil thatturns up at such a time, particularly when unsettled feelings still in play,and about the phone call or letters that happen at such times that rarely turnout of the better. Cary plays this as ifshe?s lived it, and her representation in song is compellingly human, mixingdesire, need, desperation and pain with that one little drop of hope thatdrives humanity to seek the impossible. This is a brilliant, if raw, piece of songwriting that will hauntyou. Cary closes with ?Live!?, a Sundaygo to meeting song with a single message: seize the moment. The energy here is tremendous, and punctuatesthe collection of songs about chances lost and gained with a simple directive:never give up on yourself.
Meghan Cary has lived both dreams and nightmares, andreflects upon them all in artful and symbolic songs on Building This House. Thisalbum is a study in remembering that not only are good experiences build us,but that the ones we?d rather forget are often even strong shapers of the peoplewe are to become. Cary shares her storyin honest and uncontrived language throughout the album, and blends thesestories with arrangements that often perfectly shadow the mood of each moment. The only possible complaint about the albumis that it took Meghan Cary eight years to put it all together. Listeners will find themselves ferventlyhoping that it won?t be eight years until the next one.
Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)
Learn more about Meghan Cary at www.meghancary.com, where you can pre-order Building This House, as well as as purchase copies of her albums New Shoes, Onion Dream and Live At Your House. You can also get a free song download from the new album for signing up for Cary's mailing list.
Source: http://wildysworld.blogspot.com/2012/01/meghan-cary-building-this-house.html
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