Country singer-songwriters Thad Cockrell and Caitlin Cary are an odd musical pair given their different approaches to songwriting.
But a CD of their songs, “Begonias” (Yep Roc Records), earned them the best country duet award last week in the Nashville Scene newspaper’s annual “best of” edition.
“We definitely had different writing styles,” Cockrell said. “And I think it’s different in a way that complements each other.”
His is steeped in the classic country style of Hank Williams, while Cary comes from a more literary folk background, Cockrell said.
You can see for yourself how the pairing worked out Wednesday when Cary and Cockrell appear at the Larimer Lounge.
Cary’s literary style makes sense given that she was studying for a master’s in creative writing at North Carolina State University when she joined Ryan Adams in creating the seminal alt-country group Whiskeytown.
Cary agrees with Cockrell that she brought a more literary style to the project.
“It is so difficult to say that without sounding snobby,” Cary said. “But that is not what I mean in the least. Thad is very well read and very good at turning a phrase.
“What I really mean is that he is so steeped in the sort of classic country that he is not afraid to write the simplest thing. I would cringe at a line sometimes the first time I hear it. You know how you get it beat into your head when you’re writer, no clichés. You must find a new way to say everything.”
Cary found it freeing to write with Cockrell because his approach allowed her to write in a way that she probably would never do writing alone.
Cockrell said that today’s country, to its detriment, has moved away from its plainspoken roots.
“I think it’s really sad that it’s kind of gotten to where each song kind of sounds like a knock-knock joke,” he said. “You had great writers (and) it was so simple … you’d almost think, ‘Gee, surely we should write something else.’ But they didn’t.
“And if somebody is worth their weight in salt as a singer, they can evoke emotion through those simple words. To me, that’s country music.”
Cockrell used the Willie Nelson song “Crazy” to further explain his theory on writing country songs. He said that millions of people at some point have thought to themselves it was crazy to stay in a relationship with someone who treats them badly.
“A songwriter, outside Willie Nelson, would be like, ‘Well, that’s not the hook.’ … But Willie Nelson, he just says, ‘I’m crazy. Crazy for falling.’ And you’re like, ‘Oh sure.’ That’s honest. It is completely plainspoken.”
The collaboration began over four years ago as friends having fun writing songs now and then on Sunday afternoons at Cary’s home in Raleigh, N.C. (Cockrell has since moved to Nashville.)
“In writing songs together, you sing, and we definitely thought that sounded really great,” Cockrell said.
“In some ways we weren’t necessarily writing with a record in mind,” Cary said. “We had about half the record written … (and) at some point we definitely said, ‘You know what, this sounds really good. We ought to make a record sometime.”
The album stayed just an idea until about a year ago, when they both had big enough breaks in their schedules to spend sometime together.
“When that time finally came, I went to Nashville,” Cary said. “We spent about a week and a half finishing up the songs we had started, putting some finishing touches on them and then writing some out of the blue.”
They turned out a classic country album with plainspoken lyrics made emotionally complex by the purity of two amazing voices.
Look for more music from this odd couple.
“I don’t think we are on a time schedule or anything like that,” Cary said. “But I definitely feel we’ll keep doing this. It’s too good not to do again.”
Staff writer Ed Will can be reached at 303-820-1694 or ewill@denverpost.com.
Cary and Cockrell
COUNTRY MUSIC |Caitlin Cary and Thad Cockrell with Roman Candle and Buckskin Stallion, Larimer Lounge, 2721 Larimer St., 8:30 p.m. Wednesday|$8|303-291-1007 or larimerlounge.com.
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