Casados – Passages

Wedded Amiss

There’s something romantic and endearing about a husband and wife singing duo, unfortunately Nic and Heather Dillon, collectively known as Casados, cannot convert inherent goodwill into exceptional music. Their debut EP Passages places a strong emphasis on musical harmonies, but their voices just don’t blend well. Both Nic and Heather lack confidence, resulting in meek voices, quavering with indecision and often slightly out of tune. Although the lyrics are enunciated, there is nothing in their delivery that demands the listener to in fact listen. Each track would be easily forgotten if not for the unpleasant discord their voices create, making the song memorable for the wrong reason.

Nic sings what could be considered the main melody lines, often singing in solo voice for stretches such as on “Panama”, while Heather does her best to offer the harmonies. She is used most effectively on “Panama” where her role is more clearly defined as a backing singer instead of trying to elevate to second lead. On “Take It Slow” Heather’s voice is at times strident and not at all fitting with the easygoing acoustic guitar-driven accompaniment which permeates the album.

There are no strong or catchy tunes, no memorable lyrics, so even though there is nothing inept in the songwriting, the songs lack that crucial singability to make them stick in your head long after the MP3 player has been shut off. What Casados does have is a passion for music and for each other which in time may lead to more sophisticated music. But for now, they aren’t ready for the big leagues.