Cara Winter is coming back into the spotlight with the release of her new album “Peter and the Whale” so before we can buy that and get our hands on it, we shall take a look back at Cara’s début album “Butterfly”.
The ten track album opens with the tentative “Seeds” which pitter-patters its way up your spine in a beautifully eerie way, just piano and vocal, like most of the album, but it never feels too sparse or underdone. The warm “Green Slippers” follows with Cara’s thought patterns of various journeys adding lyrical integrity to the mix. Then everything culminates for the magical “All I Love” which uncomfortably grows and grows into a great emotional crescendo, making it a personal favourite song of mine across the board. This is then followed by the delicate “Butterfly” which encaptures all that is pure in music today.
“Otherside” is the oddball of the album as its the only song to contain a constant drumbeat, albeit on hand percussion. It’s a nice touch as its really gives the song some oomph in what is probably the most single-istic track of the album. “Six Years” is a simplistic yet beautiful song which slowly whips up to a underplayed but powerful finale.
“Mr Malkovich” is the first of the two more abstract pieces which is a stop and start piece with an eerie piano section at the end but another personal highlight is “Over Hooked Lines” featuring some various electronic wizardry and some bottom end piano which is very welcome.
“Hallelujah” is the third of my personal favourites on the album that for me stand above the rest. There’s a certain pace to the song that used with male backing vocals and string arrangements really go straight for the jugulars and get your heart pinned to the floor. A phenomenal song. The album closes with the beautiful and delicate “Chimney” which leaves you wanting for more.
Thankfully we don’t have to wait long now but anyone who wants to have a spoonful of emotion with their music and enjoy singer/songwriters of ladies with pianos must sit down and give 100% undivided attention to Cara Winter – she’s a joy to behold.