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CMU Approved
Approved: Cat Martino
By Andy Malt | Published on Tuesday 5 July 2011
Having released her debut album, ‘The Sea Closet’, in 2009, Cat Martino has since gone on to record and tour with Sharon Van Etten and, more recently, Sufjan Stevens. But following the recent completion of a world tour in support of Stevens’ ‘The Age Of The Adz’ album, providing backing vocals and dance moves, she’s now getting back to her solo career with her recently completed second album, ‘Yr Not Alone’.
Whereas ‘The Sea Closet’ stayed in more familiar singer-songwriter territory, the sessions for ‘Yr Not Alone’ saw Martino in more experimental mood. Initially developed as a series soundscapes built with vocal loops while recovering from a back injury, Martino developed these ideas further with producer Jack Petruzzelli before working with Sufjan Stevens on bringing a diverse range of instruments into the mix, while still maintaining an intimate feel.
The end result is not a series of abstract soundscapes, but fully formed songs in which Martino’s voice is always the centrepiece. The earlier experimentation clearly informs the final versions of the songs, and that development leads Martino to use her voice with thoughtfulness and confidence that help to make ‘Yr Not Alone’ the distinctive and captivating album that it is. This is exemplified by the album’s title track, which is available now as a free download via the SoundCloud player below.