Cathy Davey ‘Something Ilk’ (Regal)

Another Irish singer/songwriter. Cathy doesn’t like to listen to any other records for fear of her sound being influenced and sounding too much like other artistes. An interesting idea, but one that doesn’t work. I mean, obviously she’s going to sound like other people’s work – that’s got to be well nigh impossible to avoid for a debutant using the base of guitar, bass and drums after 50 odd years of the formula – hasn’t it?

The extent to which it doesn’t work is pretty funny. Her little girl lost voice is an old trick best used by Tanya Donelly, or even Britney Spears (early doors), and the fact that Cathy employs it in overdrive throughout ‘Something Ilk’ makes comparisons and irritation inevitable.

‘Come Over’ is a rabble-rousing but disjointed opener and ‘Trade Secret’ (despite featuring kazoos) is yet more indie-by-numbers which has been demonstrated more brilliantly recently on the Martinis album. The rest is more of the same, minus the kazoo.

It’s not that this is a bad record. She can hold a tune and has an ear for a catchy melody, but here’s my problem. ‘Something Ilk’ is so run-of-the-mill that I can’t produce anything significantly word-smithy to distinguish this from any other record. Cathy demonstrates some clever-ish lyrics, “I might be hollow, but I’ve had my fill”, but it’s not really worthy of comment, is it? So instead I look to see if there’s an angle I’ve missed. Y’know… Cathy’s thing, her drive, her reason for making music…

Maybe it’s just that there’s something interesting about a singer/songwriter who seems comprehensively dipped from head to toe in the last 15 years of indie music, yet denies listening to any of it. Maybe…

words: Roger Hadwen

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