Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream

Dubliner Cathy Davey’s sophomore release Tales of Silversleeve sounds very much in the same vein as nearby artist KT Tunstall’s Drastic Fantastic. It’s quite rare these days to wade through the crap that is standard fill for today’s female singer-songwriters. I’ve said this before, so I won’t belabor the point; I’d much rather like to embellish in this incredible effort from Davey.

Tales of Silversleeve showcases Davey’s infectious vocals; playful but serious, cute but piercing at the same time, Davey uses her voice as an effective instrument throughout the album. She also has a real knack for the upbeat, driving rock song, infusing each track with unique rhythms and fantastic basslines. “Mr. Kill” is Top 40 ready, that sounds more like a B-side from The Cardigans. Davey also delivers some great ballads like the doo-woppy “Rubbish Ocean” or the folky “My Heart Today”. Davey impresses on nearly every track, but the real standouts are make this album tick. “Reuben” is a piano-driven delight with Davey’s sweet voice lifting the track to another level with the accompaniment of a child’s chorus. “Moving” is another one of those purposed pseudo-basslines backed by Davey’s captivating vocals.

Tales of Silversleeve is ripe with wit, class, and a whole lot of rhythm. So grab a copy of Tales of Silversleeve and enjoy.

Listen to “Moving” (4.95/5)

Listen to “Reuben” (4.96/5)