Deer Creek Canyon

In indie folk circles, Sera Cahoone is certainly not a household name, and hardly one you'd often hear alongside equally-deserving sirens like Sharon Van Etten and Cat Power. A regional staple thus far, the 37-year old Cahoone has been involved in numerous Northwestern projects, most notably as a studio musician (behind the drumkit, no less) for Band of Horses. On Deer Creek Canyon, a more-capable-than-ever Cahoone echoes decades of soul-searching singer-songwriters from Joni Mitchell to Emmylou Harris, all the while avoiding cliches and working in an acoustic guitar-pedal steel-banjo format that fits her well. The emotional sentiment is conveyed almost exclusively through yous and Is; lines like "You're the only one who has control of what you need" or "I just cannot speak at all because I'm feeling naked" are what you'll typically hear echoing through Cahoone's rustic atmospherics. She flashes an almost uncanny knack for expressing emotion through vocal delivery and stark word choice, as you're almost able to gauge her level of strife or comfort with each additional ooh or subtle hum.