Cash & Carter – No Use Praying (Frictionless) (E.P. Review)
Let’s start the New Year with new music from Cash & Carter. No, Johnny and June haven’t come back from the grave…this is actually Shaun and Ross.
Shaun is Shaun Smith (aka Stealth) from Birmingham, and Ross is Ross O’Reilly from 
London. These two Brits have been making music on their own and together for a number of years…Ross having worked with the likes of One Direction, Carrie Underwood and James Morrison, while “Stealth” is best known for a track titled Judgement Day, released in 2018 and used in the TV series Suits. Actually, Judgement Day was a collaboration between the two as well, with Shaun singing and Ross producing and playing most of the instruments.
So it seems that Cash & Carter, as they are known here, is more of a continuation, rather than something new.
Having said that, there is little musically that connects Judgement Day with what we have here.
The 5-track E.P. begins with the title track, Shaun singing, Ross on guitar and production, so their modus operandi hasn’t changed much, but the sound has.
According to the accompanying press blurb, our boys were inspired by CCR, CSNY, The Eagles and a dash of Chris Stapleton for good measure. The opening track proves that they can blend their voices nicely, although I was put off by the slightly-heavy-handed production during the chorus. They did work up a bit of a quasi-gospel vibe by the end.
Much better is track two, Americana (Letting Her Go) a beautiful, heartfelt song written about a friend lost to suicide. The lyrics drew me in immediately…”she was into Americana, like the songs about guns and danger…couldn’t wait to make her escape”. The harmonies are pitch perfect and the production is understated, leaving the two performers plenty of room to breathe…and grieve.
Third song is All Of The Way, the duo’s debut single and another track that suffers from some over-zealous production.
While it was Americana (Letting Her Go) that drew me to repeated spins of this E.P., it’s the 4th track, Ballad Of Talulah, that made that effort pay off. “I’ve got the time if you’ve got the money”, sings Talulah, a call girl who is tired of meeting guys who “all want to save me”. It’s reassuring proof that Americana wasn’t a fluke. This is another top notch song that tells its story with heart and soul.
Finally, the E.P. wraps with a cover of The Cure’s Just Like Heaven. This could have been awful, but instead, the duo have slowed things down and added a noir-like mood that puts a whole new perspective on this classic, making it more “soft and lonely”.
So, a mixed bag here…two songs that are highly recommended, two that I struggle with and a cover that comes from left field. It remains to be seen whether Cash & Carter remains a “side project” for Shaun and Ross, or whether they can commit to throwing themselves fully into the Americana mode.
Marty Duda
For more information on Cash & Carter visit:
