After a lengthy incubation, the fruits of collaboration finally see light of day on the debut EP from UK Americana duo Cash & Carter.
Release Date: 5th January 2024
Label: Self Release
Formats: Digital
It’s tempting to call it a ‘side project,’ but, in reality, the collaboration between Birmingham musician Shaun Smith (aka Stealth) and London-based producer, singer and writer Ross O’Reilly is something far greater and of more significance than that. OK – both Shaun and Ross have thriving solo careers, but the five songs that constitute No Use Praying, the duo’s debut EP, have been in the pipeline for a long time, and it’s that sort of incubation that lays a rock-solid foundation.
Drawn together by their mutual admiration of bands and artists like The Eagles, Creedence, Crosby Stills and Nash, Chris Stapleton, Alabama Shakes and, of course, Johnny Cash and June Carter, Cash & Carter’s songs pay tribute to the inspiration provided by those great innovators. Not that those tributes are particularly overt, mind you… it’s possible to detect snatches of American Recordings-period Johnny Cash and the influence of Alabama Shakes in amongst the mix but, in reality, Cash & Carter have taken their inspirations very subtly to produce their own unique brand of British Americana.
Describing how the EP finally came together, Shaun and Ross have this to say: “The writing of the EP has, in truth, taken years. It’s very much a project that has been led by the fact we had a collection of unreleased music that had a concurrent sound running through it and it was a damn shame not to have it out in the world. So, in that sense, getting the tracks together has taken a long time, but, once we put the dots together, the project came together very quickly.”
They continue: “This is a very proud moment for us both. We have always been hugely proud of these songs and it’s a pleasure to share to share them with the world. We just hope listeners will enjoy the music as much as we enjoyed making it.”
And, it’s fair to say, that pride is well-justified. No Use Praying is a collection of well-crafted songs that are delivered with passion and are filled with lyrics that provoke thought, tug heartstrings and deliver stirring messages.
It’s the EP’s title track that gets No Use Praying underway and, right from the outset, the messages start to pour in. Lyrics like: “There’s nobody gonna part that water for you, nobody’s gonna stop the falling rain; Nobody’s in the sky to blame, so it ain’t no use praying” set a clear agenda – if we want to make things better for ourselves, it’s up to us and us alone. Atmospheric acoustic guitar and intimate, impassioned vocals quickly mushroom into a widescreen anthem, peppered with soaring harmonies and tasty guitar flourishes; it’s an excellent opener.
Described by the duo as “Cathartic to write,” Americana (Letting Her Go) – the more recent of the EP’s two singles – is a harrowing, intense, eulogy to a lost friend. Shaun’s voice oozes with emotion as he delivers lines like “I shiver inside, I swallow my pride. Gotta let her go now,” and the soft, fingerpicked, guitar accompaniment is chillingly respectful to the song’s tragic subject matter.
The influence of Johnny Cash is, perhaps, most evident in All Of The Way, the EP’s lead single. Gentle verses, accompanied by deftly-picked acoustic guitars alternate with a raucous chorus, and the song develops an authentic gospel edge as it surges towards its climax. And the duo’s country roots are even more evident in the delightful Ballad of Talulah, the story of a sex-worker, told from the lady’s own perspective. Powerful lyrics like: “Don’t waste my time, boy; Get to the back of the line, boy – ‘Coz they all wanna save me, right until they pay me, then it’s home to their wives,” summarise both the power and the vulnerability of the sex-worker’s position; all delivered to a driving acoustic guitar rhythm.
Cash & Carter’s decision to conclude this short collection with a cover of The Cure’s Just Like Heaven is a surprising one, but I have to say that they’ve made it work. Slow-building, with an impassioned, atmospheric vocal from Shaun, some impressive guitar work from Ross and percussion that first supplements and, ultimately, dominates, the guys have definitely taken ownership of the song. Explaining the reasons for selecting the song, Shaun says: “[It’s because] we loved it. The reason we chose to do that song as a cover is because we felt we could really change its feel. The original is such a fast, major song, there are a lot of things to play around with.” Mission accomplished, I’d say…
Listen to Americana (Letting Her Go) – the most recent single to be taken from the EP – here:
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