For today’s First Listen track we have the track “Fly Away” by the Barbara Cassidy Band.
The track starts in with a bit of a simple ukelele sound and begins to build right away.There are definitely some interesting textures happening within the track. The break around the 1:45 mark has a nice little piece with some flute parts, a hint of twang/slide guitar in there. I kind of dig that. The vocals harmonize well with each other, you can tell there is a second voice somewhere in that mix, but it blends very well.
Cassidy has a pleasant voice to listen to, but at some times it feels a little put on or perhaps generic. It’s a little “too much thought and not enough feel”, which tends to turn me off a bit. In the technical sense, she measures up but for me music isn’t about technicality, its about emotion and feel and that’s just missing a bit here for me, personally. The song pays respect to the American folk writing tradition, so I can certainly appreciate that.
Overall the track is a fair enough effort, its arranged in a way that makes sense, has some good instrumentation, but just lacks a bit of “that certain something” that sets music apart for me.
I think I may have to just dig in a little deeper…but til then, that’s my first listen response.
Make your own opinion and check out the Barbara Cassidy Band on http://www.barbaracassidyband.com/