We sat down with up-and-coming singer-songwriter Cat Clyde last week, to talk about her new album Ivory Castanets and find out just how she developed her diverse sound.
Growing up in Stratford, Clyde got into music through her extended family, (her parents aren’t particularly musical, something we don’t often hear) and developed a love for old-fashioned blues. She lists a throwback group of artists as her influences: Etta James, Robert Johnson, Lead Belly, and The Boswell Sisters, or in her words, “all that old, good stuff.”
Though she’s only been a musician by trade for a couple years, Clyde’s sound is well-developed. She describes it as “a cauldron of blues, jazz and folk". That’s just the tip of the iceberg, as we would also note some rock and country influences on Ivory Castanets.
The album’s sound evolves as you listen, with Clyde showing off her folk foundation and jazz singer-like exuberance on early songs like “Running Water” and “Like a Wave” before transcending into more instrument-driven, electric-tinged tracks like “Mama Said” and “Heavy Weight”. Towards the end, she introduces some country and blues influence on “The Man I Loved Blues” and “Move Along”.
Recorded in a friend’s basement, Clyde says the album’s recording process was “very organic”, and that it “unfolded the way it was meant to.” There’s definitely a natural feel to the album, and it lends itself to her classic style.
Her ambitions are simple, saying of her new album that she is “just hoping people hear it”, and that her plans for the future are “releasing this record, touring a bunch, and making more records.”
With her old school influences and varied sound, Clyde is an artist well beyond her years. Let’s hope Ivory Castanets is the first of many.
Ivory Castanets comes out on May 5th.
Post by Dan Goldsmith
Cat Clyde Will Take You Back In Time by Chart Attack | Chart Attack.
