Search - Caitlin Cary :: Waltzie

This beautifully understated five-song EP was merely a short detour on the road toward Cary's proper full-length debut, 2002's While You Weren't Looking, but by no means is it a tossed-off or stopgap affair. In fact, its mostly acoustic setting and relaxed vibe gives it a warmth and intimacy that its successor doesn't always seem to have. Atop delicately plucked strings and atmospheric electric-guitar shades, Cary's immaculate voice--dry but expressive, stark but soft--glows gently and breathtakingly, particularly on her cover of Richard and Linda Thompson's "Withered and Died." Her four original songs--including the heartbreaking "Sorry," which she reprised for the follow-up--show an ability to get to the emotional heart of matters. In many ways, Cary couldn't be any more different from her old Whiskeytown pal Ryan Adams. While Adams, however appealingly, fools around with transient, near-the-surface feelings, Cary heads right for the core with depth and maturity. --Marc Greilsamer