The Daily Hampshire Gazette, 5/2/02

Carl Cacho, Fire & Water
Friday

Hearing "The Devil in Me," the first song on Carl Cacho's new "Spark" (Back Holler Music) made me wonder if Iris Dement has a kid brother. The melody, the words, the frank singing style, the bluegrass harmonies and the hint of conscience in the call of the dobro all remind me of Dement, to whom this song owes much.
As a calling card, it leaves a good feeling in the hand.
Cacho strikes out in many directions in "Spark," with help from New England folk friends like Ellis Paul, Kris Delmhorst and Mark Erelli. His confidence is catching, particularly when he taps into a broad vein of pop-rock, as in "Slip It Into Drive." The many directions have a way of coming home in Cacho's distinctive and bright tenor.
This is Cacho's second album. Its arrival gives people a chance to see why his songs have already won over fellow songwriters; Cacho's compositions have been recorded or performed by Kevin So, Jimmy LaFave, Stephanie Corby, Jack Hardy and Jemina James.
Cacho's quiet "That Belongs to You" is just the sort of song other people will want to sing. It travels a big country, in a simply stated narrative, to declare love. The man who owns that orphaned heart, the one that yearns to belong to someone, gives the world a precious thing in this song. "Spark" is packed with a lot of stories, some borrowed, others blue, in a dozen comfortable songs.

8 p.m., 5 Old South St., Northampton, donation.