The second release from Anna Coddington entitled 'Cat & Bird' has just been released two years after her debut album entitled 'The Lake'. Musically grown with a higher focus on a more mainstream sound from the previous album but with the same lyrical talent being showcased.
With the combined talents of drummer Riki Gooch (TrinityRoots, Eru Dangerspiel), Bassist Mike Hall (Pluto, Nightchoir) and Keyboardist/vocalist LA Mitchell (Dave Dobbyn, The Dukes), 'Cat & Bird' generates a fuller sound providing a more upbeat tone. Quoted saying a lot of the songs on 'Cat & Bird' were a result of "imagining what it would be like to be someone else, or taking a small emotion or thought and amplifying it".
Starting with Track 1 entitled 'Free' you immediately recognize a singer you have heard before and before you know it you are lost in a weave of an emotional story being told in a musical wonderland. Every song on this album does catch me drifting away to another place in my mind, which is what I expect a good album to do. Crating a fantasy of unimaginable tales each personal to the listener.
The hand picked favourite within my household is 'Underneath the Stars' although the following track has a Dave Matthews flavour to it and lyrics advising you to "Write your name on my arm, so I don't forget who you are" does bring back the younger days being on the town. Yes you know what I’m talking about.
All up another great album brought to us by Anna, Look out for her touring Aotearoa via shortly.
Anna Coddington is known for her enchanting live performances and voice which “flows perfectly from soft to grunty”, and for her songwriting prowess which has seen her in the prestigious Silver Scroll songwriting award Top 20 list four times since 2010.
Her album Luck/Time was the culmination of four years of diligent songwriting and was largely made at Anna’s own studio The Attic (literally her attic).
Showcasing all the strengths and experiences acquired over her career, Luck/Time features pop sounds with tinges of indie, disco, and yacht rock thrown in. Going against the current trend of beats-heavy production, Anna stands deliberately with her guitar in hand. With strings peppered throughout, the core of the album is all about feelings – Anna expressing her own, and the listener feeling theirs.