Sutra

SUTRA
Sutra
6-song CD
June 2007

“Just one smile from you is all I need,” sings Cat Sutherland (nee Puckett) on “Away,” track 5 of Sutra’s debut EP. “Away” is a genteel torch song anchored by an undertow of spacey synths and ghostly baritone samples. It’s rhythmic and accessible, with a certain sophisticated, dark density that’ll no doubt get Sutra compared to bands like Evanescence. It takes more than one listen to absorb all that’s going on in these six tracks, especially on “Need” and “Sentinel Horizon,” which boast a treasure of underlying studio wizardry. Headphones are Sutra’s friends.

If the haunting beauty of Cat’s voice sounds familiar, you might have been a fan of her 1990s Boston-based band, Volition, a four-piece heavy rock outfit that enjoyed a pretty good run, and two CDs, before breaking up in 2001.

Much like the happy accident that had thrown Cat together with the Volition guys over ten years ago, for Sutra she’s paired up with multi-instrumentalist/producer Chuck Pukmel. Chuck and Cat discovered a musical common ground in 2005 while working on a side project that had gotten somewhat stalled; wanting a more gratifying outlet, it seemed totally natural for the two to break away and form a side side project. Sutra took hold.
The chemistry is unmistakable here, as Cat and Chuck evoke an almost eerie Annie Lennox/Dave Stewart dynamic. Chuck builds the foundation by playing…well, everything, masterfully (check out the guitars on “Home”). And Cat creates towering pillars of melody with her soulful singing. Working with super-producer David Minehan, they’ve created a gleaming pop record with smart hooks and haunting vocals. Chuck integrates his studio effects into the music, but it doesn’t sacrifice the clean pop feel, as apparent on “Need,” a fast guitar-driven rocker with an underlying electronic maelstrom, and Cat singing her own back-up vocals.

Right now it seems that Sutra’s just a studio project, and there’s no telling whether this EP is a six-song teaser or represents the whole of what we’ll ever hear from this surprising duo. If they end up playing live in the Boston area, you’ll read about it here. (Lexi Kahn)