ALBUM REVIEW: Don Cavalli
- Posted on September 29, 2008 2:28 PM
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Don Cavalli
Cryland
Release date: 20th October 2008
Review by Beca Laliberte
Music critics around the world have already pigeonholed Don Cavalli as ‘mimicky’ and ‘unimaginative’ and complain that stylistically, Cryland is a blatant imitation of all the rock and roll musical greats of the 50’s and 60’s. But so what if it is? If someone so talented is actually able to emulate and successfully reproduce (within original songs) the textures and the feelings that surround an era that many people miss and appreciate, why should we discard it? So Don Cavalli won’t win any awards for ingenuity, but the timeless jive of the blues runs deep within the melodies of Cryland and for thirteen short tracks, we can pretend that the soulful, gritty sound of African-American blues has been resurrected - and best of all, (if only because its strange and a little chuckle-worthy) by a middle-aged Parisian.
The quality of the album is intentionally raw and lo-fi which suits the Wah-heavy, distorted and fuzzy guitars that accompany the low growl of Don Cavalli’s baritone, Captain Beefheart style voice. The most memorable tracks on the album are ‘River’, a short and upbeat bluesy gospel over a grungy, sustained riff, the rhythmically bouncy, ‘Gloom’ and ‘Cherie’, where Don Cavalli’s slurred words are solely accompanied by whining harmonicas and a soft drum beat.
It is exactly when modernity seeps into the album enough that Don Cavalli diverges away from his stylistic obsession and completely fails to deliver. ‘New Hollywood Babylon’ is the only track on the album with the ‘original’ and ‘fresh’ sound that critics so craved - but the ongoing synthetic loop that underpins the song makes it by far the most annoying and disposable.
Finishing with a zippy cover of Gershwin’s ‘Summertime’, Don Cavalli communicates his influences loud and clear. He also shows that he doesn’t pretend to be anything more than he is - a French gardener whose soul burns for the blues. ‘Music is my life’ he says ‘but it doesn’t fill my belly up, or pay my rent’. Hopefully, Cryland will allow Don Cavalli to trade in his shovel and his hedge trimmers soon so that we can see what other skiffle beats and wah-wah grooves he has in store for us in the future.
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