I am a huge fan of singer-songwriters. In the world of over produced, auto-tuned, ghost-written pop packages, I’m always pleased when I’m handed an album filled with music written and performed by the same person.
Cady Groves Ep Life of a Pirate fits that bill perfectly. You get to hear the passion of a person singing words they wrote. You get the raw unfiltered sound of a girl who doesn’t need the studio magic in order to bring her songs to life.
Her music, although enjoyable, is underwhelming. Don’t take that the wrong way. Life of a Pirate is full of endearing and heartfelt songs, and the music is well written. I just didn’t feel like I was listening to anything special happen. When asked to describe her music, Cady herself posits “If Miranda Lambert, Paramore, Dixie Chicks, and Taylor Swift all had a less talented baby – that would be me.” Her modesty is commendable, but sadly, extremely accurate.
Listening to her music brought forth one of two reactions from me. I either started doing something else, letting her music drift into the background and provide a nice ambience for whatever else was going on; or I was reminded of other artists I wanted to listen to, who she sounded like, but was not quite as good as.
Bottom line, Cady Groves and her new EP are good, maybe even really good, but not good enough to stand out. Good enough to cause me to be pleased if I was able to catch her set on The Bamboozle Road Show this summer, but not good enough to make me buy a ticket specifically to see her.
Rating: 
(3/5)
