Ceri Justice Music 2025
Birmingham libertarian brings on her best by reconnecting Americana with Emerald Isle.
Cut Loose
It seemed easy to dismiss the shamrock on the cover of this chanteuse’s debut album, the self-referencing “Justified” from 2019, and see the font her name was rendered in as part of the artwork its follow-up "Walk In Shadow" offered three years later, yet ignoring Ceri Justice’s Irishness will at least be a shame for the listener, if not insult to the lady. She’s worked back to Celtic motifs from Appalachia – which feels quite interesting, because the music that became country rock, Ceri’s chosen genre, originally flowed across the Atlantic in an opposite direction – and the results of such cultural reversal should sharpen one’s view of the folk threads Ms. Justice is masterfully weaving into an impressive tapestry. Still, the fair maiden’s songs are never didactic, even though for every entertaining piece on display, there’s a bit of heartbreak, and not for nothing the record has a tell-tale bonus track, an intimately chamber, and sultry, take on “Do Anything You Wanna Do” from the EDDIE AND THE HOT RODS repertoire.
Ceri’s own concoctions, all co-penned with multi-instrumentalist Paul Johnston. cam be as feisty as Shania Twain’s, and the infectious “Show Me What You’re Made Of” and the dramatic “All In My Dreams” demonstrate it in style, with handclaps and twang propelling her assertive, albeit occasionally vulnerable, voice towards a rodeo arena, whereas the album’s title track rides a sharp riff and bouncy groove that Justice’s ever-strong vocals bounce of. But while there’s a prairie-wide pining in the slider-caressed “Looking For A Lover” and the strings-drenched “Loves Let Me Down” to reveal the whole tonal spectrum of the warbler’s pipes, the staggering ballad “Fragments (Jeannie’s Escape)” reaches for the vales of Albion and Éire in the most enchanting and profound way, the testament to Ceri’s growth as an artist. She won’t shy away from applying pop touches to numbers requiring them, as “Got This Feeling” suggests; nor will Justice avoid a grungier edge, as “Just A Fever” – which features Robert Plant’s sidekick Tony Kelsey on lead guitar – proves before turning nigh-orchestral and pulling the serenade of “Miss U Mantra” into the picture.
It’s difficult not to relate to the sentiment “Sometimes I Wonder” streams, as Ceri’s lines roll so seductively on the organ waves, and it’s impossible not to drown in the sorrow “The 21st Day” lays down by projecting Justice’s entire persona on a cinema screen to make her look larger than life she’s exploring here. A major move in the songstress’s creative development, “Cut Loose” is bound to become a favorite platter for many of those who’ll discover this record.
*****
