Michael Kiel Cash
Shores of Mercy
Not many singers list their inspirations as Emily Dickinson, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Rumi, Townes Van Zandt, and Walt Whitman. Michael Kiel Cash is an eclectic musician whose style is a mix of poetic imagery, original songs, and tradition. He is mainly a guitar player, but he also dabbles on a Hammond B3 organ, the lute-like Mesopotamian tanbur, and an Armenian bowed instrument called a kemenche. If all of that isn't enough, he also brings to the table a variety of musical styles ranging from country blues, soul, folk balladry, and even a choral piece: “Hymn of theHarvest” That one comes out of nowhere, but what a glorious surprise.
On Shores of Mercy, Cash also fronts a very fine studio band that adorns his songs with fiddle, penny whistles, bouzouki, mandolin, and numerous other instruments. You can hear a homemade live solo rendition of the title track that features a sweet little picking pattern to go with a love song, but Cash shows even more range when he slips into band mode. There is the twangy “Flood of Springtime Dreams,” a song about all the things he thinks of that drift away in the vernal wash that comes after a long winter, but check out the Cajun-meets-gravely-Jimmy Buffett vibe to the upbeat “Lyin’ with My Baby.” He is equally adroit with several acoustic blues selections. Try “Hoophead’s Country Blues” to get a sense of that persona; it’s complete with some mouth harp, of course.
There’s also the infectious “Muscadine Wine,” that’s infused with splashes of country, folk, gospel, and old-time music punctuated by some heavy acoustic guitar bass lines. He even gets soulful on “Heart of the Mountain” and is backed by some Motown-like singers. It’s an unusual choice for a song set far from urban streets and whose thesis is that city love will rub you raw, which is why he’s sticking to a mountain girl. Yet, somehow it works.
Shores of Mercy nailed me as I was listening to music on a five-mile walk and was just about to skip August for an artist/album of the month selection. There wasn’t anything wrong with other things I had queued on my device, but Cash grabbed my attention because he took chances instead of worrying about how anyone would pigeonhole him. My advice is don’t even try. Just enjoy.
In case you’re wondering, no, Michael Kiel Cash is not a member of the famed Carter-Cash extended clan. He was raised in New England, lives in New York City, and his parents hail from Texas and Louisiana.
Rob Weir
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