Caitlin Cannon’s upcoming release, Beggar (a four-song EP set to debut on April 5, 2024 as a standalone precursor to her forthcoming full-length album Love Addict) is all songwriting chops and vibe.

With cinematic soundscapes, nostalgic atmospheres, and words that are a testament to the enduring power of storytelling at their center, Cannon is evolving beyond the bronze status she once proudly declared in her critically lauded debut release, The TrashCannon Album.

According to Saving Country Music, Cannon’s “not a songwriter for the winners; she’s a songwriter for the broken, the downtrodden, the losers, the motherfuckers. She sings about real shit that most other songwriters don’t have the guts to broach. A crack pool player and a hilarious person on stage who could have a second career as a comedian, Caitlin Cannon is one of those country artists that slides so criminally under the radar; it angers the blood…”

While Cannon did claim victory at prestigious competitions in 2023, such as The Songwriter’s Serenade in Texas, and a third-place finish in the Telluride Troubadour Contest in Colorado, her ambitions are well aligned with the above review. In collaboration with 30A Songwriters Festival producers, she holds a residency at Walton Correctional Institution, crafting songs with inmates. Additionally, Cannon has stood alongside luminaries like Steve Earle and Susan Gibson at the Reveille Retreat to impart her knowledge of the craft to war veterans.

Flush with the storytelling and instrumentation characteristic of country music, Beggar blends various genres across a dreamy, slightly melancholy sonic landscape that feels timeless and contemporary. Caitlin Cannon’s expressive vocals, now embraced in a more raw and vulnerable style, are complemented by the undeniable talent of her studio band, featuring Lillie Mae Rische, Eddy Dunlap (Grand Ole Opry), Jon Murray (Miranda Lambert), and producer Misa Arriaga, renowned for his work with Kacey Musgraves and Willie Nelson.

As she prepares to unveil her latest work, Cannon is pushing the boundaries of her sound and herself. In the opening track, “The Alchemist,” our singer compares herself to a maestro of life’s alchemy. The song unfolds as a dazzling spectacle as she manages to convince herself of a love that isn’t there. She further investigates a lifetime spent perfecting the art of self-deception in the EP’s anthem and title track, “Beggar,” which delves into the singer’s realization that she’s been selling herself short and decides that she must risk humiliation to try and rise above her station. The 2022 American Songwriter Song Contest Finalist, “Amarillo and Little Rock,” brings a glimmer of hope as the singer grapples with pain that twists the mind, bends the knees, and leads to desperate prayers, but finds transformation beyond her suffering. And finally, “Waiting,” a vital ballad and biographical glimpse into the life of Cannon’s brother, who has been serving time in an Alabama state penitentiary since he was a teenager. It is a love story with cocaine, cheap beer, and trouble on one side and a fight for redemption on the other. The result is a kaleidoscopic performance that challenges norms and adds dimension and vibrance to the canvas of the human condition.