Caitlin Rose CCA 2/3
Though Caitlin Rose has played Glasgow several times she’s never been in the ‘boxy’ CCA. This single room, lacking even a bar serves to create an intimate atmosphere because wherever you are in the room, Caitlin Rose can see you. Support comes from Andrew Combs and Steelism, two acts Rose has worked with before, and who join together to create Rose’s backing band. As such, the gig is fluid; there are no awkward introductions for each act, and by the time Rose comes on, the audience is familiar with all the musicians. Combs’ country-music warbling is soothing, and his vocals perfectly suit the CCA whilst Steelism get the audience more excited with their well received instrumental covers.
Rose’s set is relatively short, but still perfectly showcases how her music crosses between country, folk and pop. Opening with the first song on her new album ‘The Stand-In’, ‘No-One to Call’ is a powerful reminder of Rose’s vocals as well as the talents of her backing band. The thick Glaswegian accent proves a challenge for the Nashville singer to understand but her voice appears too big for such a small room, with tracks such as ‘Waitin’’ deserving a bigger venue.
Towards the end of her set, Rose and Combs collaborate on his song ‘Too Stoned to Cry’, with the mix of their vocals working perfectly, to the extent that listening to the same song without her feels like it’s missing something. Later on, having declared that things are about to get ‘a whole lot more country’, Rose, Combs (now sporting the obligatory cowboy hat) and the rest of the musicians end on a high with a sequence of fast-paced numbers which wouldn’t be out of place at a rodeo.
Country music never seems to be taken seriously in the British music scene but nonetheless, Rose’s vocal talents, along with the skills of her fellow performers, prove that it is far more than just a soundtrack to naff dancing.
[Laura Thomas]
qmunicatemagazine.com 