Supporting the Arts in Western Massachusetts and Beyond

January 28, 2015

Caitlin Canty


The Parlor Room, Northampton, MA
January 24, 2015
by Eric Sutter

Caitlin Canty and her full band played The Parlor Room in support of her CD release, "Reckless Skyline.” The house  gave Canty an opportune venue and the band gave her lots of room in which to shine. The band included Jeffrey Foucault on guitars, Bill Conway on drums, Jeremy Moses Curtis on bass, and Eric Heywood on pedal steel and guitars. These were all great players who created a strong musical beat. Canty's voice was a refined dusky alto, and pure. Her lyrical themes hurled words into darkness that gnawed at the hunger of life in all of us. When she smiled, the audience members melted on "My Love For You Will Not Fade."

Song after song gave way to a poetic lyrical resonance. "Get Up" was a rave up alt-country rocker. Within the dark lyrical landscape, the pedal steel found home in its bright stir of excitement. The darker toned songs, "Enough About Hard Times" and the ballad "Wore Your Ring," slowed the energy for enjoyment of lyrical quality. Her words calm with even phrasing and tone for simple inflection for easy listening.

However, not all was lost to darkness. "Southern Man" phrased some bright lines into its narrative from the female perspective. Another bright moment included the Canty/Foucault upbeat duet "Get Back To Idaho." The mid-tempo roots rocker "My Baby Don't Care" featured flashy blues guitar breaks over the rhythm. The cover of Neil Young's "Unknown Legend" was treated with the sonic beauty of the singer's voice. Guest artist Kate Lorenz, from the local band “Rusty Belle,” provided background vocals on certain songs for female harmony.
  
"True" posed the question, "How can I be true to you and true to me?" in duet form with Jeffrey Foucault for glorious effect. The concert closed with the rousing "Reckless Skyline" and alt-country rocker "I Never." A country weeper encore "Cold Habit" showcased a pretty Heywood pedal steel guitar sound.

Catch this Vermont regional star on her adventurous glide to Nashville. She shines light in all the dark places.