Cerys Matthews - 'Cockahoop' (Blanco Y Negro)
3/5
By: Toby L
You'd have to be a most ardent of cynics to hold contempt for a radical career-reversal such as this.
And if we were to have predicted the general direction that Cerys Matthews, near-iconic front-maiden of ye olde, post-Britpop Welsh growlers Catatonia, was to head in following a bout of rehab, public indifference with firmly-inflicted popularity in an overnight capacity and the general bullshit attached to a changing indie-scene of the time, then it'd have been fair to presume a career duck-out.
But her return, much like the fighter her frivolous, engaging onstage persona always seemed to encapsulate from afar, is a justified, reinvigorated and - frankly - wholly surprising one. You can almost hear the rustle of tumbleweed blowing across the outside of the Nashville home-studio in the woods that this album's thirteen tracks were recorded amidst, a freshly inspired gusto in her already gravely voice, and a lovingness with which the tracks are executed that - arguably - became amiss from her previous combo's final, bow-out stages.
So, this is an alt.country album - banjos, pedal-steel guitar and all. Despite the preconceptions, 'Cockahoop', however, is a tune-led feast of riveting, tuneful, self-therapy stomps, all of which - presumably - played a part in healing the motivation Matthews needed to take a step back into the limelight.
From the glimmering 'Chardonnay', a previously unrecorded gem as penned by The Stranglers' Hugh Cornwell and Roger Cook, never do the good times let up, with innocent lilts through the winning likes of 'If You're Lookin' For Love' and yee-hah righteousness of 'Louisiana' instant darts to the heart. 'All My Trails', meanwhile, is the soulful closer - previously sung via the calibre of Joan Baez and Pete Seeger - poignancy only complemented via the scintillating, Welsh-sung 'Arglwydd Dyma Fi' or dazzling 'Only A Fool'.
Clearly, she's not after critical, nor commercial success anymore; been there, done that... Though with passion and sincerity this sky-scraping, just maybe, it might find its way to her a second time around. Lord knows that with a talent this continually engrossing, she's born for widespread admiration, no matter the change of direction.
Artists in this article: Cerys Matthews
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