COSY
SHERIDAN
The Horse King
Waterbug 102
* * *
Cosy Sheridan’s latest CD is a humor sandwich with
poignant filling. She leads with three whimsical songs that dare to make
suggestions that have occurred to lots of us. On the barrel house/honky tonk-styled
“Higher Financial Reform” she advises us not to trust our pensions to
high-flying boys who are younger than we. Then she offers career counseling for
those seeking to make a living by the arts: “Keep Your Overhead Low.” And, at
last, someone tackles the non-appeal of “Air Guitar” and makes the commonsense
remark that it would be better to learn how to play the real thing!
After little flights of folly and frolic, Sheridan
turns serious for four songs. The title track pays homage to a real-life horse
whisperer she knew when she was younger; “Icarus” retells the classic by making
him into a hero with the courage to fly rather than the foil of a cautionary
tale; “The Angles in Rome” muses on the statuary that (in my view) often evokes
more spirituality than what lies inside the building; and “Don’t Walk Away from
Love” could be an Emmylou Harris song.
Then it’s back to the lighter side when contemplating
naked bodies of older women (“Religious Art”), the scariness of one’s inner
thoughts (“Would You Like to Meet the Voice inside My Head”), and in providing
the antidote to life’s trials and tribulations (“Be Outside”). The latter would
make a great anthem for the Boy and Girl Scouts!
This is a very likable album, but it’s also too
homespun for its own good. Sheridan’s vibrato is starting to show some wear and
the instrumentation and backup vocals do little to assist her. She’s always
been upbeat, vivacious, and fearless, but it sounded to me as if a lower key
might have been a better fit for several of the songs. I recommend this album
for its cleverness, good heart, and kind spirit, but it’s a bit like Sheridan’s
take on the aging female body: don’t expect a work of art.—Rob Weir
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