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Album Review: Cindy Woolf

In case you missed Cindy Woolf’s release show for her sophomore album Before Daylight, let me start by recommending you go purchase yourself a copy.

Got it? Good.

Notice how she takes the orchestral folk and child-like endearment of Joanna Newsom but brings it home with a straight-forward punch. In doing so, Cindy blurs the genres, inviting all music fans to sit back and let the songs do the rest.

Cindy is releasing this herself, rather than with MayApple Records, but the production is still strong if not stronger than on her 2005 release Simple and Few, enlisting the recording talents of ex-Flick member Oran Thorntan. However, the key word there is “strong,” as it does just enough before becoming overbearing or contrived like many country pop stars. While the album dips into spotlighting coasting guitar chords and riffs, its finest moments are found in the rhythm and undertone of the banjo and the roosty string tones of the violin and cello. Considering her live experience as a one- or two-piece, it’s no wonder Cindy shines in her more minimalist moments.

Folk-pop is a genre more than tread by the past decade of indie interpretations, but Cindy strips away the pretension and brings legitimacy like only a sweet-voiced songbird from northern Arkansas can.

Recommended tracks: “Our Little Song,” “Drive All Night”