There's something raw and unfinished about this British roots band. It echoes in their take on the American experience, songs that tick all the boxes of conventional roots music with such titles as Blood & Wine , but which remain strangely British. It is manifest in how singer Chantal Hill occasionally struggles to avoid being swamped by the propulsive rhythms formed by busy rhythm section Pedro Vidal and Stephen Coates and guitarist Jason Moffat. And yet there is something game and committed in The Cedars' alt.Americana attitude. Hill finds her voice on the darkly atmospheric Johnny Davey's Blues , the sweet interlude that is Lover's Reel, the harder edge of The Colour and the smouldering a cappella Choke Chain . There are clumsy efforts – Extrication Row , for one, sounds like a demo. But, overall, Little Copper Still is something to build on.
Clubhouserecords. co.uk
Download: Johnny Davey's Blues,Choke Chain