Cockahoop

by

Cerys Matthews

Edit

I bought this album because I am a huge fan of Welsh rock band Catatonia, and was hugely disappointed when they split in 2001; so, when I heard lead singer Cerys Matthews was making a solo album, I was very excited. This music is extremely different from that of Catatonia, however; it has more of a folk music feel to it. Cerys has a very unique voice and it suits this music perfectly. If you've never heard her before, she has an incredible sexy, textured, kittenish voice that I can't compare to anybody else. The album as a whole is delightful, and I don't consider myself a country music fan so don't let that label put you off.

It's a very musically accomplished album. Cerys hired a lot of very talented musicians in Nashville to help her make the record. It is too bad it didn't get more exposure, it really is a great album and I can't wait to see where this new direction takes Cerys. She really does sound a lot more fulfilled and content than she ever did in Catatonia, and the end result is an album that is very pleasant to listen to and a worthy addition to any music fan's collection.

Cery's Matthews possesses a truly unique voice that combines a velvet croak with a whiskey-ravaged rasp. that may sound like an insult...but it's not, i actually like her voice and it lends itself to these songs quite nicely. acoustic driven and heavy on the cowgirl accents, Cockahoop contains some nice little songs. but overall, i feel like it's missing something. maybe squaring Matthews's voice into the country rock sound is just a little too derived...in other words, it works sometimes, and sometimes it does not. but it is a nice little record. shame about the absolutely horrendous cover art. ouch.