The Room is Warm

Fans of Freakwater have cause to be excited once again, and while it might not be because of a release of a new album, it is because band member Catherine Irwin is out with her second solo album, Little Heater. It may have been a decade since Catherine Irwin’s 2002 solo album, Cut Yourself a Switch, but Irwin doesn’t stray from what she does best. Little Heater, produced by Tara Jane O’Neill, is 13 original songs that are seemingly timeless in character. Rustic and raw, Irwin keeps things simplistic in one of the most long-awaited follow up solo albums this year.

A tinge of pain and the heartbroken ache in Irwin’s voice, it’s hard to turn your ears off to her latest musical collection. Highlights through the album include “Hoopskirt,” a surreal and alluring track backed by a layering of croons that are simply intoxicating. “Mockingbird,” the album’s first track highlights the heartfelt bluegrass and alt country that is Irwin’s homegrown twang, immediately making you feel at home here. A slight detour from simplicity leaves you with one of Irwin’s rawest pieces with “The Banks of the Ohio,” bringing multilayered vocals and dark rooted Americana lyrics .

Irwin is completely captivating in her sophomore album, proving that she can hold her own once again away from the success of Freakwater. Patience is a virtue, and Irwin’s made it all worth the long anticipated wait.