Album Reviews: Maren Morris, Cannons, COIN, Alessia Cara, and Camila Cabello

 

Humble Quest by Maren Morris

I have never heard of Maren Morris, but this is her 6th studio album.  She put out her first in  2005 at age 15.  She would do three independent albums from 2005 to 2011 then sign with Columbia and put out her first with them in 2016 and it would go to number 1 on the country charts.  Now at age 32 she is deep into her Nashville career.  In many ways this album feels less country and more Americana, but that isn't too surprising as this seems to be the path for many country artists these days.  It also isn't bad.  I don't know her earlier music obviously but listening to this album makes me interested in going back and listening to her earlier stuff.  Since she and Taylor Swift are the same age and both have been putting out music since they were kids I was curious as to whether or not they know each other and was happy to find they do interact with each other and are big fans of each others work. 

As for the album like I said it feels pretty Americana and is very laid back in it's pace.  It would be a good album for driving on a long road trip while the family sleeps around you.  

Fever Dream by Cannons

Another band that signed with Columbia records after having put out a few independent albums.  This is their debut album with Columbia.  It's another band I have not heard of until now, but they have been a band since 2013 and putting out albums since 2017.  This is one of those bands where it seems like I should really like them, because of their obvious influences and their sound, but there is something lacking in the band I can't quite figure out.

I'll give you a few examples.  The video above is a song called "Tunnel of You."  Because of it's sound and her vocal style I was left thinking of the song  "The Long Tunnel of Wanting You," by Vanessa Daou.  Daou to me proves to be a stronger vocal performer when you pair the two songs and the music accompanying her is more interesting.  I don't really want to compare them lyrically because Daou was using poems written by Erica Jong for her album Zipless.  

Another example is the song "Strangers."  Her vocal approach along with the music makes me think of Sally Shapiro.  Again Shapiro proves herself to be a better vocal performer to me than  Michelle Joy of Cannons and  Johan Agebjorn better at creating the soundtrack behind the voice.  

   

I guess the problem is everything sounds so familiar but it doesn't sound unique or fresh or better.  If you are out on a night walk in the city and it's kind of rainy but not too much so, I could see listening to this as you walk around.  It has that vibe to it.  

 

Uncanny Valley by COIN

A band out of Nashville this is their 4th album since 2015.  It's an interesting album with an interesting sound, though for a band on their 4th album they still feel like a band trying to figure out exactly what they are.  This isn't a bad thing but at times listening to this album early on I actually wasn't sure if I had switched over to another album.  The songs are short, but still at 14 songs it feels a bit long.  You could easily throw this album on when you are taking a long bike ride.  There isn't any bad moments on the album and it's interesting and has enough beat to keep you moving.  

For the Love of Pop by Alessia Cara

I've been keeping an eye on Cara since her debut album back in 2015, but I must say it has been very hard to keep track of what is what with her as a lot of content has come out over the past few years and somehow I completely missed her album last year In the Meantime.  Still just recently her new label released four compilations of her work, one of which is For the Love of Pop.  I listened to a few of these new compilations and found this one to be my favorite, so figured I would include it here.  Of course I like pop music, so it fits with me and I found it to be a fun listen.  A great clean the house record.    

Familia by Camila Cabello

I don't know that I enjoyed this album as much as her last, but it definitely has the best highs of any of these five albums in this review.  This is one where I pick out the songs I really like and find myself listening to them and just kind of skipping over the rest of the album.  Going on a run, working out in your basement, you can find some good songs on here for a workout mix.