Cara Dillon

cara dillon
When she left Equation with fellow band-member pianist Sam Lakeman several years back the two collaborators seemed to be dissatisfied with their current projects and kept on returning to the traditional material that they had been working on. In 2001 Cara's first album was released to critical worldwide acclaim. Though firmly traditional in content and spirit there are some wonderful arranging touches here that modernise the music, not only Sam's minimalist piano but also the sympathetic incorporation of elements of rock and contemporary balladry.

Apart from bass, electric guitar, organ and modern drumkit the instrumentation is also traditional with such instruments as mandolin, button accordion, violin, harmonium or viola contributing either subtly or in a sparse expectant air of celebratory surprise. As for Cara's voice it is a presence of swooning sweetness (but never cloying) wedded to a mature musical concept. Commencing with a beautiful rendition of Black Is The Colour, a timeless ballad hundreds of years old the album wends a sure path lined with the markers of today that exquisitely illuminate a hushed timelessness. Every listener to Cara Dillon is going have a different favourite song or maybe not…as they are swept up by the stately beauty of it all. For me it's The Maid Of Culmore…a perfect balance between sparse simplicity and deep emotion.