Kacy & Clayton
Carrying On
New West Records
I’ve written about the duo of Kacy & Clayton before and as long as this pair of second cousins continue to create music as artful and enthralling as their newest, Carrying On, I’ll keep writing about them.
Produced, as was 2017’s The Siren’s Song by Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, the pair exist with roots Appalachia on one shoulder, balanced by a West Coast, Laurel Canyon vibe on the other. Together the ethereal vocals of Kacy Anderson float above the unique guitar (and piano, autoharp and “wind powered organ”) of Clayton Linthicum, such as the opening “The Forty-Ninth Parallel”. The title cut follows, with a ramshackle piano, ala Garth Hudson of The Band, perhaps. Clayton takes the lead on the mournful “High Holiday”, his lacy guitar adorning the vocal, with veteran Nashville musician Charlie McCoy adding bass harmonica.
From up-tempo moments such as “Intervention” to the solemn cuts such as “Mom and Dad’s Waltz #2”, the magical vibe of Carrying On surrounds you, engulfs you and you’ll be lost in the headphone experience. Truly rapturous, Kacy & Clayton’s fifth release shows the Saskatchewan pair at the vanguard of something wonderous. Keep it coming, folks. You’ve got willing ears here.
