The first thing that leaps out upon popping in CockAHoop, the solo debut from Welsh singer Cerys Matthews, is her vocal timbre. Matthews is blessed (or cursed, depending on your preferences) with one of those bizarre, quavering, baby-woman voices, a la Victoria Williams or ’80s new-wave pinup Clare Grogan (of Altered Images). To hear this distinctive instrument immediately lifted in praise to white wine (the opener, “Chardonnay”, penned by Roger Cook, who also composed Crystal Gayle’s “Talking In Your Sleep”), crooning “I will never need you more than I do now” to the blessed elixir…well, it all feels a bit Drew Barrymore.
What could be more unsettling? That same little-girl-lost voice meandering through the Handsome Family’s “Weightless Again”. Matthews’ reading lacks the gravitas of Brett Sparks’, but, in its own fashion, is just as creepy as the original, especially thanks to the inclusion of a kalimba (those African “finger pianos” that sound like music boxes).
Matthews formerly fronted Welsh pop band Catatonia (best known for their 1998 U.K. hits “Road Rage” and “Mulder & Scully”), but CockAHoop, recorded in Nashville, makes a vivid break from her rock past. Produced by steel guitarist Bucky Baxter and featuring an impressive crew of seasoned sidemen, including guitarist Richard Bennett and versatile reed player Jim Hoke, these thirteen songs flirt with traditional country without getting bogged down by notions of authenticity. Drunken waltzes (the traditional “La Bague”), Welsh folk songs (“Arglwydd Dyma Fi”), and fine, poppy originals all fit comfortably into the program, which culminates with “All My Trials”, a dark Appalachian lullaby with gospel accents.
Why it took a year and a half for this curious little disc to receive a U.S. release is a mystery, but be grateful that it finally has.