CD REVIEW: ‘Sun’ revolves around Wheeler’s storytelling

Cheryl Wheeler points to the beauty, reverence and humor in nature in her latest CD, “Pointing at the Sun.”

The New England folk singer/songwriter alternates between gentle, firm and hilarious in this outstanding collection of tunes that begins with the quiet “Holding On” and ends with a frisky cat trilogy.

Wheeler, 58, has a deep, throaty alto voice that can spin silk on the lovely “Grey and Green,” kick into her old-timey roots on “Summer Fly,” caress the quiet of “Holding On” and grow urgent on “You Know You Will,” as if she's letting you in on a secret.

The secret is just how good she is. Her name is known in certain circles, but deserves to make wider ripples. Her sound has wide-ranging appeal for fans of folk, roots, pop and poetry.

Her vocals remind me of Judy Collins - lush in the deeper tones, more reedy when floating in the higher ends. But rather than stir up political clouds of dust, Wheeler praises the mysteries of nature, the pull of the sun, the complexities of relationships and the feistiness of felines.

She plays a mean acoustic guitar and surrounds herself with other top-notch musicians to layer color under her lyrics with electric and slide guitar, upright bass, horns, clarinet, accordion and various percussion. Her cat even gets into the act.

Best tracks: Just when she has you hypnotized by her gentle, lilting style, Wheeler smashes the mold with her cat trilogy. “White Cat” breaks into a hilarious cat rap with a hint of gypsy in its tale, followed by the full gypsy treatment on “Cat Accountant” and a playful salsa romp through “My Cat's Birthday.” Everybody conga!

FAST TAKE

Title: “Pointing at the Sun”

Label: Dias Records

Performance: 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, with guest artist Kenny White

Where: CSPS, 1103 Third St. SE, Cedar Rapids

Tickets: $18 advance, $22 day of show, through (319) 364-1580 or www.iowatix.com

Information: www.legionarts.org and www.cherylwheeler.com

Podcast: Hear an interview with Cheryl Wheeler at http://shellyspodcast.com/

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