I don't want to be your afterthought

Another great release from the folks from Yep Roc (who also recently put out John Doe's Forever Hasn't Happened Yet, reviewed here earlier this week): Begonias, an album of duets by Caitlin Cary and Thad Cockrell.

Cary is best known as a former vocalist, songwriter and violinist for '90s country band Whiskeytown, and since then, she has put out two very well-received solo LPs (and one EP, featuring an amazing cover of Richard and Linda Thompson's "Withered & Died").
Cockrell is a North Carolina-based country and folk singer-songwriter with a few albums under his belt.

Begonias follows a line from Cockrell's online bio: "There's no alt in my country." His record with Cary is refreshingly sincere but with dashes of wit. There are traditional tunes like the Patsy Cline-esque "Please Break My Heart", and there's an epic story-song called "Conversations About A Friend (Who's In Love With Katie)" that clocks in at 7:23. (If I called it a country version of "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant", would I get my indie cred card revoked forever? Yeah, fine, that's what I thought. It was worth it!)

Anyway, my favorite song on the album is an upbeat number called

Second Option - Caitlin Cary & Thad Cockrell

I wasn't even going to mention Whiskeytown's other famous alumnus, but I can't get over how much this song sounds like one of his. That's a good thing, too; like the best of Adams' rock songs, "Second Option" rolls along with just the right momentum, and the cautious confidence in the lyrics ("I don't want to be your second option/I don't want to be your afterthought") fit this drive.

Begonias is pretty much what you'd want it to be: sweet, pretty, overwhelmingly (but not overly) earnest. It's a great summertime album.

You can buy Begonias directly from Yep Roc.