Cerulean
Self-Released, 2022
8/10
A Canadian songwriter who knows his away around a melody you won’t soon forget, Ken Yates is in some fine company across these heartfelt and lyrically rich songs that sometimes seem like lullabies for adults.
“The Big One” opens the listen and brings Kathleen Edwards along on backing vocals for the dreamy, atmospheric haze that benefits from Peter Von-Althen’s thumping drums, and “The Future Is Dead” follows with Yates’ warm guitar amid the breezy melodies of the cozy Americana.
Deeper into the listen, “Small Doses” carries a poetic quality that showcases Philippe Charbonneau’s precise bass playing, while the swift “Honest Light” allows Caroline Marie Brooks to add backing vocals to the scrappy folk tune that swirls with a very harmonic appeal.
Further still, “Good Things” takes help from Liz Longley for the reflective album highlight, and the title track exits the listen with a bare eloquence that radiates so much beauty in its sublime vision.
An album that takes grief and loss and molds it into hope and peace, Yates brings a rare intimacy to indie-folk nods on this very compelling and uniquely intimate record.
Travels well with: Brooke Annibale- Hold To The Light; Lowland Hum- At Home