Cat Clyde Returns to Her Stripped-Down Acoustic Roots on 'Good Bones'

BY Scott RoosPublished Jun 18, 2020

7
In an age when many artists are releasing albums chock-full of cover tunes, folkster Cat Clyde has opted, with her latest outing Good Bones, to cover… herself. It's a back to basics approach with Clyde sticking with her tried-and-true acoustic formula. A tip of the cap to her early days when it was just her and her guitar, Good Bones is a reimagining of many of Clyde's songs from previous releases — it's barebones, earthy, organic and intriguing all-around.

Kicking off with the grungy chord progression of "Mama Said", Clyde, from the outset, is in her element. There's no guitar solos, but instead a wealth of vocal improvisations, scoops and scats. Clyde's voice is nuanced and melodically interesting throughout. The acoustic format also finds her less married to a click track, which enables her to make strong use of dynamics and experiment with tempo changes for emotional effect.

At the end of the day, is the stripped-down style of Good Bones a one-off to keep Clyde busy during lockdown, or is it a retraction of the electric, bigger budget and full-band nature of previous outings, like Hunter's Trance? At the bare minimum, Good Bones is low-hanging fruit for her hardcore fans, while casual passersby will find the eccentricities of the vocal acrobatics well worth the listen.
(Independent)

Latest Coverage