Listen to Cera Impala and you immediately wonder why she isn't more widely known. But in our media and brand driven society it may be because she doesn't fit into any convenient category to be neatly labelled and packaged. Her songs slide through folk, country, swing, bluegrass, jazz and balladry. Sometimes all in the same number.
In addition to providing lead vocals Impala plays 5 string banjo, ukuleles and guitar, backed up by one of my favourite fiddlers, Dirk Ronneburg, and the charmingly, clownishly eccentric Joey Sanderson on double bass with cymbal atop and delivering some vocal trumpetry that has to be seen to be believed. Her voice is soft, sweet and husky, and if it doesn't appear to have a wide range it has the power to sustain some memorable long notes. It's very expressive and works well when delivering lyrics in conversational style.
The songs cover a range of subjects, love, loss, murder, hopes and butterflies, much that is personal and some looking out at the world. Clearly a lot of work has gone into the arrangements, with frequent surprises as songs change tempo and head off in new directions. Ronneburg's fiddle work is a delight, never intrusive but with some impressive solos and perfectly complementing the tinkling banjo. The bass provides a solid foundation, and, although his solos wouldn't win any prizes, Sanderson is a constant source of entertainment to observe. Indeed the band as a whole induce a grin in their audience, not just for the quality of their music, but because they are clearly having a good time making it. Dirk's dry humour and Cera's friendly warmth fill in the spaces between numbers and bring a few laughs to the evening.
The event was a pre-launch for the new Cera Impala album, Tumbleweed, due to be released later this year. But copies were available on the night and I can confirm it's a pleasure to listen to. This voice definitely deserves to be heard more widely.
Here's an example, from last year, of what she can offer.
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