I had the opportunity a few weeks back to watch the live Instagram feed of a Kaeley Pruitt-Hamm show and was taken with her mix of nervous chattiness (a characteristic I share, though mine is far less endearing) and moving presentation. Talking about her music and the stories behind particular songs lights her up as with most down-to-earth artists, but once she moves into the role of performer, the change is night and day: bashful exposition gives way to a style of harmony-rich vocals wherein not a single word—not a single syllable—is wasted.
I’m convinced that “New Year” would work as an a cappella piece—the backing vocals stay in motion in such a way that they create their own swirling rhythm—but the arrangement here can’t be praised enough for its sheer restraint. Where lesser-skilled, more-bombastic artists would take cues from Kaeley’s vocal builds and go all out in trying to emphasize every wave of emotion with louder and more forceful playing, the musicians here keep their cool. Though I’m a sucker for banjo and there’s one killing it on rhythm throughout, there are several well-mixed guitar bits popping up and then drifting away, and though the bass keeps it steady and buoyant, it’s the drummer that I’ve got to credit with maintaining some solid control even while scattering fills and rolls across the latter half of the song.
This is the second time I’ve been able to review a Canary Collective tune on Ball of Wax and marks another KPH song that will be on repeat around the house for a while!