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Cassandra Lewis – Lost in a Dream (2024)
Review:
“Road’s been too rough to walk alone” Cassandra Lewis admits on “Too Much,” the opening track of her major-label debut, Lost in a Dream. And what a life it’s been, beginning with a driftless childhood that found her regional fame as a kid yodeler in Idaho, then operating a cannabis farm in Mendocino, California, that eventually burned down in a wildfire. She then drifted down to San Francisco, found psychedelic medicine, and started writing and recording, eventually releasing her independent debut, 2022’s Always, All Ways. That album landed Lewis an opportunity to play for the president of Elektra Records in the label’s parking garage, and now a few years later comes Lost in a Dream. Produced by the inimitable Dave Cobb, the album is a tapestry of cosmic Americana, retro soul, and country gold. Cobb and the band keep everything close, hushed: The bass is turned up, the guitars are quiet, and the drum kit is brushed. Above it all, Lewis’ dynamic and passionate voice engulfs the resultant space with its hypnotic, distinctive warble. On “Hold the Door,” a co-write with Nashville’s resident soul revivalist Anderson East, Lewis pines for earnest chivalry above the bass slink of vintage soul. She showcases her vocal range with all the glamour of a rural fireworks display, soaring and falling at just the right times. “I Surrender” finds Lewis channeling a heartbroken Brenda Lee and a vengeful Grace Slick. She concedes to a love when the fight goes past the point of winning. Lewis knowingly follows it up with “More Like Mama,” an acoustic ballad featuring harmonies with her regular collaborator and guitarist Trevor Bahnson. “So many sacrifices on the hunt for something real,” the duo sing, both with a lived pain and pride. Equal parts diary entry and retroactive letter to a former self, “Little Girl” finds Lewis exploring a striking kind of vulnerability. On “Some Kind of Love,” Lewis sings an understated waltz that borders on acoustic jazz. Like a Dolly Parton understudy, Lewis confesses to the type of kindhearted love that always leaves the door open for more. Lewis co-wrote the title song with Nashville ace and The Highwomen member Natalie Hemby. “Lost in a Dream” is an exercise in exemplary dream pop, and also the vocal centerpiece of the album. Lewis leans fully into unrestrained R&B on “So Bad.” Reminiscent of all the promise of Amy Winehouse, the track finds Lewis truly singing her ass off over an Anderson East piano loop. She saves her best lyrical set for “Emerald City,” where she imagines a personal “Oz”-like wonderland amidst our impending wasteland. But this one’s built by two. “We danced around the broken things / With ruby lips, amphetamines” she sings as if in a trance. With the closing track, “I Would,” Lewis imparts her wistful ambition of a love and life resumed — only after she finally finds out what it takes to do it. Paired with Lewis’ undeniable voice, these 10 songs succeed mainly via their musical and structural simplicity. With Cobb and the band’s airy arrangements and the ability of each song to fit comfortably in either a dimly lit jazz club or an amphitheater stage, Lost in a Dream is an arrival record featuring a voice so unique as to sound both intimately familiar and universal. From the moments of her wandering life, Cassandra Lewis has created a powerful and impressive soundtrack on Lost in a Dream. — NoDepression
Track List:
01 - Too Much
02 - Hold the Door
03 - I Surrender
04 - More Like Mama
05 - Little Girl
06 - Some Kind of Love
07 - Lost in a Dream
08 - So Bad
09 - Emerald City
10 - I Would
Media Report:
Genre: americana
Origin: USA
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits
Compression mode: Lossless
Writing library: libFLAC 1.2.1 (UTC 2007-09-17)
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