by David Wilikofsky
In the early 2010’s, it felt as if some of the most exciting music being made was in country. Artists like Brandy Clark, Kacey Musgraves and Ashley Monroe were breathing new life into the genre, bringing both a fresh perspective and razor sharp storytelling chops. Caitlin Rose may not be as familiar a name as those three, but at the time she was as bright a prospect as any of them. Her 2013 album The Stand-In is easily one of my favorite albums of that decade, seamlessly melding country twang with soaring pop. Unlike her peers, Rose never really capitalized on the momentum those early records provided; she largely disappeared following that album, struggling to put together a follow-up she could get behind. Delayed even further by the pandemic, her long awaited third album Cazimi is both a fresh start and a natural continuation of her sonic universe.
Rose is on record stating that she was uncomfortable with the spotlight that was thrust upon her nearly a decade ago, and in some ways Cazimi takes the opportunity to reinvent what we know about her. Rose’s first two albums, though sonically ambitious, largely pulled from country and folk tradition. Cazimi plays fast and loose with genre distinction; you’re as likely to hear the familiar twang of steel guitar as you are a towering rock riff or chopped up vocal sample in the background. There’s also a sense of restraint set from the beginning; though The Stand-In kicked off with the sweeping “No One To Call”, here opener “Carried Away” pairs Rose’s voice with skeletal accompaniment. Even more upbeat tracks like “Modern Dancing” or “Nobody’s Sweetheart” feel more muted, refraining from getting caught up in the own grandeur and allowing space for quiet contemplation to seep in.
What has remained constant is the quality of the writing. Rose has always been one of the sharpest songwriters around, able to make you feel any emotion with a simple turn of phrase. This batch of songs only provides more evidence of this fact. You can feel the ache in the simple, repeated refrains of “Getting It Right”, in which Rose laments always saying or doing the wrong thing, just as you can taste the venom as Rose promises to make you “sorry somehow” in “Holdin.” Every song here has its own story to tell and its own emotional web to untangle.
There’s always a concern that after a decade of silence, any transmission may be so labored over that it won’t reach the heights of its predecessors. In the case of Cazimi, those fears would be unfounded. It may have taken nearly a decade, but it was well worth the wait.