Begonias

1	Two Different Things / Thad Cockrell 4:16
2	Something Less Than Something More / Thad Cockrell 5:08
3	Second Option / Thad Cockrell 3:15
4	Please Break My Heart / Thad Cockrell 4:10
5	Whatever You Want / Thad Cockrell 4:47
6	Don't Make It Better / Thad Cockrell 3:29
7	Warm & Tender Love / Thad Cockrell 4:44
8	Party Time / Thad Cockrell 3:24
9	Conversations About a Friend (Who's in Love With Katie) / Thad Cockrell 7:24
10	Waiting on June / Thad Cockrell 4:37
11	Big House / Thad Cockrell 4:14

Barnes & Noble

From Whiskeytown to her solo albums to Tres Chicas, Caitlin Cary's appearances on record have been marked by an abundance of heart, soul, wit, and smarts. So it is on Begonias, recorded with her buddy Thad Cockrell. It's a rootsy, country-flavored delight, notable for the two artists' engaging synchronicity, compelling voices, and obvious enthusiasm for their alliance. Working in a laid-back atmosphere informed equally by honky-tonk, soul, and countrypolitan styles, Cary and Cockrell sing of love and heartbreak with an authority that begs comparison to the heartrending duets of George and Tammy, or Dolly and Porter, albeit in a more rustic setting. The telling details of a marriage gone south are searingly depicted in "Two Different Things," with both singers coming from a place of abject pain, their ache heightened by spooky Spanish guitar flourishes and ominous organ washes. A quiet, folky shuffle in the style of an early-'60s Nashville gem, "Something Less than Something More" is held aloft by Cary's tender vocal, an ethereal wail of silky background voices, and the steady, keening moans of a pedal steel. From his solo album, Cockrell reprises the wrenching ballad "Please Break My Heart," with an elegant, moody production that suggests a Patsy Cline record and a vocal approach equally informed by blues and country. Amid all the originals, a cover of the Percy Sledge monument "Warm & Tender Love" is a real knockout punch, as the singers cry out the plaintive lyrics, underscored by soul-styled electric guitar punctuations and churchy organ fills. Beautifully done, the unassuming Begonias makes every moment count, and then some. David McGee

All Music Guide

While Caitlin Cary's solo albums have made it abundantly clear she can make splendid music by her lonesome, there's no arguing that she collaborates very well indeed, as her work with Whiskeytown and Tres Chicas has proven. For Begonias, Cary teamed up with another gifted singer/songwriter, her friend Thad Cockrell, and the two mesh beautifully on these sessions. Cockrell's voice bears a slight resemblance to Cary's old vocal partner Ryan Adams on this set, and his lonesome tenor blends perfectly with the sweet ache of Cary's instrument; the beauty of their harmonies alone would make this an album worth hearing, but that's hardly Begonias's only virtue. Cary and Cockrell wrote most of these songs together, and they've conjured up a handful of gorgeous meditations on love and its absence, and "Whatever You Want," "Two Different Things," and "Something Less or Something More" reveal a quiet strength and passion that's nearly heartbreaking in its power. The album doesn't rock out much, but "Second Option" shows they know how when they're of a mind, and the backing combo offers marvelously sympathetic support, especially Pete Finney and Pat Buchanan on guitars and Logan Matheny on percussion. And Cary and Cockrell's take on the old Percy Sledge chestnut "Warm & Tender Love" is so beautifully realized that it's enough to make you forget the truly great original. Begonias is an album that was produced on a modest scale, but its beauties and rewards are tremendous, and one can only hope this is the first in a long series of collaborative efforts between this two very compatible artists. Mark Deming