Cornelius Eady’s rustic, acoustic folk sound-rich and precious in his latest collection of tunes. The EP, titled Painting, is a beautifully written and produced work of acoustic blues and folk that’s full to the brim with gentle and weighted riffs alongside Eady’s smoky vocals.
Cornelius Eady, singer and songwriter, is the spearhead of the Cornelius Eady Trio, based in New York, and made up of Eady and multi-instrumentalists Charlie Rauh and Lisa Liu. Self-described as folk, blues, and funk -with a dose of poetry, Painting is indeed a poetic little album. Musically and lyrically, the trio finds no difficulty in conjuring vivid images with melodies and arrangements, alongside poignant words and fantastic performances.
Painting is showcasing a trio of extremely proficient musicians. Capable through restraint of creating wholly immersive soundscapes that are at once minimal and intricate. ‘Rich Man and The Reaper’ and ‘The Unworried Life’ are two wonderful compositions. Between the smokehouse melancholy of the former, with its gentle acoustic riff and blaring organs, and the cornerstone piano line on the latter, the trio is displaying a wholly unique style that’s easily as gratifying and as interesting as the work of Nick Cave or Tom Waits, while making without the edginess or darkness of both musicians.
The rhythmic ‘God Will Get The Glory’ is an experiment that features ominous melodies and a gentle stomp, and the closer, the title song, is a gentle and lilting ballad that sees Eady uncover a new, more tender facet of his voice, making the song one of the EP’s most heartwarming songs. The 8 songs that makeup Painting are uniformly fascinating in how lush they are while being so soft and -at times- minimal. The Trio, who have been playing together for the better part of 8 years, are displaying a truly unique sound in Painting.