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Spotlights [Issue
#
21 ]
Cassandra Wilson:
Rises Again With Thunderbird
By
Dean Truitt
Throughout her 20-year
career, Mississippi native Cassandra Wilson has carved out an unusual niche for
her artistry by maintaining a clear vision of herself and venturing out to different
genres.
Fusing blues, soul,
pop, jazz, rock, and R&B, the artist seems to have no limits in her desire
for creative exploration. On her 16th release, Thunderbird, she decided to forego
producing the album herself in favor of finding a collaborator off whom she could
bounce her endless stream of ideas. One of the top picks of her list was acclaimed
songwriter/producer T Bone Burnett, who has helmed projects for Elvis Costello
and the Coen Brothers’ film, O Brother, Where Art Thou? Of her partnership
with Burnett, Wilson beams, “It was on another level, it was wonderful. He
has an encyclopedic knowledge of American music and he really loves guitar the
way I love the guitar, with a passion. He has an uncanny gift for bringing people
together and turning them into a single unit, a single voice.”
Wilson and Burnett created a team using some of the world’s finest session
musicians: drummer Jim Keltner, keyboardist Keefus Ciancia, bassist Mike Elizondo,
and an appearance by blues veteran Keb’ Mo’ on the track, “I Want
To Be Loved.” From the opening moments of “Go To Mexico,” Thunderbird
kicks off with a swaggering groove that paves the way for Wilson’s husky
contralto that floats over the myriad percussion, clavinet, guitar, and piano.
As the music downshifts to a revamped cover of The Wallflowers’ “Closer
To You,” her smoky vocals dance around the hypnotic beat and lilting guitar
arpeggios in a relaxed manner that is both inviting and ethereal.
One of the album’s highlights is the spectacular performance on “Red
River Valley,” which has a lengthy a cappella opening later matched with
Colin Linden’s swampy slide guitar playing. The feel is of a gospel hymn
performed in a sweaty New Orleans church service.
Thunderbird closes with the reflective track “Tarot,” which recalls
an event in Wilson’s life. She explains, “The initial inspiration was
an actual tarot reading. I got a tarot reading while I was in Los Angeles. It
was a beautiful reading and those [the cards she mentions in the song] are actually
the cards the reader was talking to me about. I went for a walk on Santa Monica
on the beach and it was like a carnival. It had one of those machines where you
put a quarter in and get your future told.” Rather than being simply song
about a random event, Wilson turned the chance encounter into a perfect opportunity
to sing about her amazing life. The mesmerizing strings and captivating rhythm
add to the otherworldly atmosphere of the track. In the middle section, all the
instruments quickly drop out in favor of one strumming acoustic guitar to support
the singer’s haunting musings. As a harmonica trails off in the fadeout,
the listener feels ready to start the album once again and take the journey another
time.
Thunderbird
Blue Note
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