Deadpan Love, Kristin

I picked this album, so it may be clear that I am a fan of Cautious Clay as an artist. I find that I gravitate towards music that has jazz influences, and Cautious Clay's R&B, gospel and jazz-infused debut album was one I really enjoyed.

The songs have a similar sound through most of the album. The sound doesn't personally jump out at me as the most impactful part of the album. But instead, the relatively even sound is punctuated by impactful lyrics about the reality, complexity, and emotions around human relationships. He uses the mostly upbeat music as a wall to mask a lot of real emotions that are described in his lyrics. The vulnerability of him as an artist mainly comes through when you listen closely to the lyrics. I think this theme is also apparent in the cover art. His portrait shows a strong-jawed artist, but when you look closer you see the distant stare in his eyes and tears. I really found the anecdote about Cassius Clay's identity and how the world chose to accept who he identified as to be really interesting, and to send a similar message about the difference between who we are internally, outwardly presented, and also who we are accepted to be by others. 

I recently saw him preform several songs from this album live. Although he plays flute and sax on this album recording, when performing live he whips both instruments out Lizzo style (seemingly out of thin air) and can crush a really amazing woodwind solo, which isn't something you hear as strongly on the album. During those live solos, I can hear the passion he has for making music, but they are noticeably muted in the recorded album. Something I would personally liked to hear more of. 

Overall, I recommend Deadpan Love. It may not be something to pickup when you want to belt out a happy hearted tune in the car to uplift your mood. But if you're ever looking to feel like you're not alone in feeling human with a relatively upbeat sound, it's perfect. 

Also, I wanted to give a big shoutout to Joe. I have followed Puke on Your Birthday probably since Joe literally puked on his birthday in the woods of Burholme, but have never contributed. It feels good to finally do it and hope to do it again in the future. Thanks for being persistent with this flake.