Album Review: Sera Cahoone - Dear Creek Canyon

Seattle is home to Sub Pop and many of the label's artists, but with the label moving away from rock and touching on more genres, Sera Cahoone seems to be leading the charge for the label in the world of country and folk – especially with latest release, Deer Creek Canyon, which is undoubtedly her most talked about record to date.

From the get-go, the album feels like Cahoone's lyrics and vocal delivery are the forefront, with the backing music not necessarily offering any peaks or declines throughout. However, with this vocal emphasis sees some real gems come through. Opener Worry All Your Life throws a big stage vibe, while the following title track seems to be bare bones minimum, feeling lost out in the woods like the album's cover. Naked is the rocker of the record, kicking off with the rather bold lyrics, “I'm feeling hopeless tonight”, which, in context of the album, is damn cool. Nervous Wreck has floor-slapping rhythm with acoustic melodies that sound close to home with a bit of a Texas Tea vibe going on. 

There is a small amount of filler on the record and by the time you get to it, it can become quite tedious, namely the mediocre Rumpshaker and Shakin' Hands which don't match the level of the rest of the record. Here With Me works in this lullaby fashion and is quite a nice little ditty, while closing track Oh My has a tacked on feel to it and isn't essential to the album. Still, apart from its flaws, Deer Creek Canyon is an interesting record that'd will no doubt have fans among certain circles.