Caleb Caudle – Live From Cash Cabin
Recorded live in the Spring of 2022, Caleb Caudle’s Live from Cash Cabin captures an intimate moment in the artist’s career that he dedicates to the memory of his dear friend and fellow musician Alex McKinney who plays dobro on the collection. Featuring stripped down versions of six songs from previous projects; the EP allows each of the musicians to showcase their abilities in a deeply personal way. Joining Caudle and McKinney are Karl Zerfas on bass and Thomas Cassell on mandolin. The quartet exhibits their musicianship and comradery through the recordings contained within.
Kicking off the EP is the song, “Monte Carlo,” which was originally featured on Caudle’s 2020 album Better Hurry Up. The imagery that the song paints is vivid because it comes directly from Caudle’s childhood who grew up riding around North Carolina in his grandpa’s 1970 Monte Carlo. A philosophy of throwing yourself into a situation despite the odds is enfolded within the lyrics. As a traveling musician, Caudle knows a thing or two about defying the odds and taking chances.
McKinney’s dobro takes center stage with the tune, “Crazy Wayne,” which introduces listeners to an eccentric North Carolinian who offers his own take on homespun wisdom. Spelling out the way moments transpire that allow us to realize that coincidences are not always as they seem and nothing is fully within our knowing. Crazy Wayne is more insightful than he may appear and could easily be someone that Caudle knew growing up in the North Carolina foothills.
Harkening back to a song from earlier in Caudle’s catalog at the midpoint of the EP, the quartet revives the song, “Carolina Ghost,” the title track off of Caudle’s album of the same name that was released in 2016. Hearing this song among the newer ones showcases the ever-evolving narrative that makes up Caudle’s narrative. The song demonstrates Caudle’s knack for words and his ability to evoke the senses through his lyricism.
Caudle’s bluesy side is ever-present on the track, “Call it a Day,” which also beautifully captures McKinney’s dobro playing. The song looks into the idea of the hero being the one that’s able to choose his battles and being brave in walking away from a conflict. The final two songs on the EP are tunes that were featured on Caudle’s 2022 album Forsythia. “The Gates,” a ballad steeped in ominous folk imagery, and “Red Bank Road,” which closed out the collection with a sense of familiarity for it is one that Caudle has been performing for many years.
As a tribute to the beauty of simplicity, Live from Cash Cabin offers a cherished portrait of an artist and his comrades making lovely music. The musicianship of Alex McKinney is forever documented, and that alone makes this collection worth listening to. Caudle’s own slice of Americana is one that keeps in line with the tradition of the Carter-Cash family and will make a perfect addition to your roots music collection.
Find more details here: https://www.calebcaudle.com and find the music here: https://linktr.ee/calebcaudle
Enjoy our previous coverage here: REVIEW: Caleb Caudle Delivers Another Classic With “Forsythia”