What happens if you merge the country voice of Anne Murray and cross it with the folk/rock sensibilities of Amy Ray from the Indigo Girls? You get someone like Cheryl Wheeler. Add to that a bit of a dramatic and whimsical flair for songwriting and you end up with the songs of Pointing at the Sun. This is the heart of folk music for me - telling stories with words, melody, and a personal perspective on the world.
So how'd I miss her? Somehow I'd never heard of her before, even though she's been recording albums, touring, and writing songs for 25+ years. You'd think that I might have heard some of her songs on the radio or heard her mentioned as an artist. But she seems to avoid the traditional artist spotlight and instead focus on playing in front of live audiences.
Other artists have certainly recognized her talents. Many have recorded covers of Wheeler's work - from Kathy Mattea and Bette Midler to Garth Brooks and Peter, Paul, and Mary. And Wheeler doesn't stray from socially conscious or charged lyrics either, including gun control ("If It Were Up to Me"), bad relationships ("Addicted"), and good relationships too ("Gandhi/Buddha"). She has a gift for the rhythms of poetry and a talent for arranging music to make them stick.
Pointing at the Sun is no different. I have had "My Cat's Birthday" stuck in my head since the first time I heard it!
With this, her twelfth album, Wheeler has launched her own label - Dias Records. Though she puts her heart and soul into her live performances, I hope that having her own label means we'll hear more of her socially conscious lyrics and her great sense of humor since she'll have control of her own releases.
Of all the tracks on the album, I found myself drawn to the "Cat" trilogy of "White Cat, " "Cat Accountant," and "My Cat's Birthday" as well as the groovy, bluesy "Summer Fly" and "You Know You Will."
The Cat trilogy brings forward Wheeler's whimsy and gift for words.
"White Cat" explores the point of view of an indoor/outdoor cat who didn't really believe in grooming himself. "I was a white cat once, but when I roll around I get all gray and brown / And it does not make sense to waste a busy day licking the dirt away / And I have staff for that, sent here to serve the cat..." Sounds like any number of cats I've had over the years. And Wheeler manages to do some rap inside a folk song, which makes this song stand out. How many rap-folk songs are there these days?
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Article comments
1 - TheBernMan
This is one Album you Have to Listen to.
What a superb album.
2 - Bill Pringle
Cheryl will be in Colorado in December. Don't miss her!
3 - Tim McMullen
Cheryl's latest, Pointing at the Sun, is a collection of love songs: love for people, love for places, and love for cats. Yes, her exceedingly clever and catchy cat trilogy has finally been recorded. The album combines deeply touching personal portraits of love and devotion, tenderness and heartache, philosophical wonder, wit, and whimsy. You cannot go wrong with a Cheryl Wheeler album, and this one is terrific.