Label: unsigned

Producer: Mark Carroll

Release Date: 2004

Cara Young is perhaps one of the finest jazz/pop/swing/rock singer songwriters I have ever had the pleasure to listen to. I can quite comfortably place her alongside all those ladies of song and sound who were vaccinated with phonograph needles in all the right places to become the superstars we know and love so dearly. Listening to this girl's voice can be quite mesmerizing and when you meander from that level of perception to the musical arrangements and then the lyrics, you imagine her in concert.. standing room only... blue lights and a truly willingly electrified audience... it's easy... and all you did was listen!

Insatiable is a five track EP produced by Mark Carroll and the result of a close and musically explosive working relationship. The lyrics are exceptional, and the smooth and versatile vocals that give those lyrics life are indeed the stuff of greatness. The only downside to listening to an EP of this calibre is the sheer frustration in not having the album or the DVD or the concert in surround sound or... the VIP area concert ticket... yep... that way you could hang at the stage door after the show and meet her in person!

The CD opens with Insatiable and a few bars of beautiful piano that leads and sets the initial pace of smooth with a capital 'S'. The lyrics are absolutely brilliant.. and that middle bit that chases your emotions around the backs of the chairs up the walls and all over the floor is such a clever example of what you would expect to find in superb low lights jazz composition... it's just pure audio delight!

I love the way Madman opens up with trickles of perfect guitar with equally perfect piano in a subdued country/rock setting. The vocal versatility I mentioned earlier is evident here. Cara controls that voice with an almost mathematical precision and you find yourself being drawn, dragged, and shaken by the skill behind the voice. The musicianship is tight, and the recording is excellently produced, engineered, and mastered but after first hearing Insatiable, you'd expect nothing less!

I'm no fool is one of those songs that you want the world to respond enthusiastically to.. so you begin by phoning friends, colleagues, and relatives and opening the conversation with 'You won't believe what these ears have just heard!' The lyrics, again, are examples of true craftsman(woman)ship and the slow n seductive pace in the smooth n faithful jazz arrangement is absolute ear candy. You have to play it more than once to accept the fact that Cara has managed to bring this song to life with such apparent ease. For those who like to make comparisons.. I dare ya! Cara Young has a truly innovative vocal style that is as equally at home with jazz as it is with a whole host of related and unrelated ear-enticing genres. Now, let's be honest folks.. that takes some doing!

Fragile is such an incredibly beautiful song that simply oozes perfection on so many levels. Watch how the slow paced piano and voice work together.. it's an accomplishment that only a few truly gifted songwriters ever get close to and Cara gets very close indeed!

Sway, is a cover originally written by Ruiz and Grimble, and is the final track on the EP. This nice little 'to and fro' tune makes ya wanna dance even if you don't know how.. but it's Cara's careful attention to vocal detail and the bright and colourful arrangement that makes this song a true classic for the 'now' generation's listening pleasure. I just love the piano and percussion treatments that are woven together like a tapestry of sheer sensual delight... I'd sway with Cara anytime.. she's a rare and talented artist and she deserves nothing less than global attention on a grand scale.

 

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