While taking a few
moments to glance through my email spam filter (which I only do
occasionally, most of the time I just empty), I noticed one with the
subject line “New CD”. I figured it would be yet another offer of “male
enhancement” or “loan approval”, but decided to just check and see.
It was an email from Casey Cainan, offering his new CD, “The Show Must
Go On” for review.
Having never heard of Casey, I responded to his email, sending my
contact information, and offering to return it to him should I not care
for it. Let me digress for a moment. One of the joys of
writing freelance music reviews is the opportunity to hear many CD’s.
In this day and time of CD burning and home studios, there is a
multitude of stuff out there. Singer/songwriters put their hearts and
souls into making a CD. Sometimes it’s really good, sometimes you
have to just give them credit for throwing it out there. Sometimes “well
known” or “up and coming” can be great, but for me it seems lately, more
often than not, I get “disappointed”. So, I thought, why not
gamble.
I can honestly say I had zero expectations about this CD. It
arrived in my P.O. Box on a day the family and I were headed out to run
errands. My hubby, Bad Andy, suggested we pop it in the CD player,
I figured “why not”. I popped it in, dropped the case back in the
priority mail envelope, turned it up a little, and began to listen. Wow.
I was immediately drawn in. Bands are fun and at times fantastic,
but I tend to gravitate toward the singer/songwriter and his guitar
without any extra frills. From the opening lines of the first
track until the end of the CD, I was amazed at the depth of each and
every song. I loved the sound of the guitar, and the honestly of
Cainan’s really nice voice. One of my favorite songwriters, Billy
Joe Shaver, once said “Simplicity don’t need greasing.” This
easily describes Cainan’s CD. I wouldn’t change a thing.
“Two Shows and a Plane Ride” is the opening track, grabbing the listener
from the get-go. This isn’t a tune you pop in and only “hear” the
chorus, each and every word has you ready for the next. Masterful
story telling most often includes keeping the listener in suspense of
what happens next and/or why the story is being told. This song
does exactly that.
By this time I was digging through the mail for the CD case again.
The second track “For Better or Worse (Shiavo’s Blues) had me ready to
hear it just because of the title. A pretty dark subject from the
get-go, no matter how you felt about the Shiavo case, this song is
gripping. Written from Cainan’s “stepping into the shoes of
another”, he writes how she may have felt toward her husband in those
final days. Very thought provoking, and a definite “note to self:
make wishes known on paper ASAP.”
And, that’s just the first two tracks. His songs range in subject
matter from the heartaches, stories, growing up, loved ones, and most
are indeed deep and dark. This isn’t a “hootin’ hollerin’ good
time”, but more an inner look into the depth of a man, and in turn, the
listener tends to take an inner look at their own lives.
Hungry for more. Each and every track on this CD made me want to
hear the next one, looking up the next title during the few second gaps
between songs. As I’ve said in several reviews, I rarely listen to
a CD straight through/over and over. This one is still stuck in my
van’s CD player. I could sit and summarize each track, but
frankly, it wouldn’t do any of them justice. EVERY song on this
one is good, EVERY song!! Want to hear for yourself, or read the
lyrics (which I feel are pure poetry), check them out at
www.caseycainan.com . You
can order directly from his site, if you like. This one is a must
have/must hear. I can’t wait until Cainan starts playing gigs in
this area, I’ll be there to hear him. I’ll probably be smiling
part of the time, and wiping a tear or two away sometimes, too.
Did I mention he’s out of town for most of the next couple months?
His singing tour will run roughly from October through March. For
now, he’s on tour with his other job, with the Culpepper & Merriweather
Circus ( www.cmcircus.com ).
What does he do? Well, in reading info from his website, he’s
spent the past 20 years or so traveling with small circuses as a wild
animal trainer, although it sounds as though he’s frequently upstaged by
his dog, Twyla! He’s also a family man, with his lovely wife,
Natalie and precious daughter, Georgia.
He says, “Life is a circus, or at least it is for me.” He grew up
with the circus, and with many of the musical influences most of us did
(Haggard, Dylan, Willie), and had talented musicians in his own family.
He learned to play guitar from a circus clown at fourteen, but somewhere
along the line put his guitar down. He continued to be exposed to
a lot of different music through the years from the many friends he
gained through his career. After hearing Michael O’Neal doing
originals one night at an open mic, Cainan was inspired to pick up his
guitar again. Time passed, and folks started encouraging him to
make his own CD. During a stop with the circus in Phoenix, this treasure
was recorded. The rest, as they say, will be history.
Thanks, Casey. Sharing your outer talent with the world in the
circus is a gift. Sharing your music is not only a gift, but a
blessing.
Lone Star Mama
Written by Dana Jones, August, 2005
