By Deuce

Singer, songwriter, musician, and producer Caro Granner has returned with her first single since dropping her debut EP, Cicada, last April. Cicada was a sincere, heartfelt attempt to blend a number of different genres, including indie and alternative, over a 6-cut playlist with standouts such as such as “Kendall” and “Have it Back”.

This time, the talented artist is back with a cover of the Crosby Stills & Nash classic, “Helplessly Hoping”. The track features Granner handling all of the instruments and vocals, which is saying quite a lot considering the intricate harmonies and how well crafted they are to fit the myriad of melodies. Granner proved she’s no slouch on the boards as well, as evinced by the fact that she both mixed and produced the cut. Chris Granner is credited with additional mixing work while Jesse Grace mastered the opus.

Although Granner was located in the Chicago area at the time of the release of the single, the song has significant nostalgia for her dating back to some of her treasured memories living in Michigan with her family. It was then that she first became acquainted with the timeless number, when she and her cousins, aunts, and parents would gather together and sing the tune, working out the harmonies amongst each other.

Perhaps, then, Granner’s version is fate. The high notes she melds with the lower ones, particularly on certain sections of the refrain, sound melodious without appearing too saccharine—or even saccharine at all. Part of this effect is due to how she chose to arrange and effectively modernize the track, which still retains huge swaths of its original, grassroots appeal while.

She’s able to bring the song up to date with an artful use of space and redressing of the guitar work in the original affair with a more modern sounding keyboard. Reminiscent of jazz, the groove sounds good with the syncopated drums to complete the contemporary flavor of the number.

An artist this genuine sounding, and with such an authentic connection to the music, should have little trouble succeeding in her next musical foray—whatever that is, and where it leads her.