Mary Chapin Carpenter
Come On Come On
1992
Mary Chapin Carpenter
Stones in the Road
1994
The day you left home you got an early
start
I watched your car back out in the dark
I opened the door to your room down the hall
I turned on the light and all that I saw
Was a bed and a desk and a couple of tacks
No sign of someone who expects to be back
That must have been one hell of
a suitcase you packed . . .
~ "Only a Dream"
I can tell by the way you're talking
That the past isn't letting you go
There's only so long you can take it all on
Then the wrong's gotta be on its own
And when you're ready to leave it behind you,
You'll look back and all that you'll see
Is the wreckage and rust that you left in the dust
On your way to the jubilee
~ "Jubilee" |
Mary
Chapin Carpenter:
Come On Come On and Stones in the Road
October 19, 1998
I think I first became aware of Mary
Chapin Carpenter around the time she released Come On Come On.
I remember "Passionate Kisses" was getting a lot of play on VH1, and I
liked it so much that I bought the CD. The first time I listened to it, I was amazed
at the power of the songwriting, the music, and her incredible voice. I couldn't
believe I'd never heard her before.
Mary Chapin Carpenter is one of those artists
who's defied categorization for so long that she sometimes falls through the cracks.
She flirts with folk and rock, though she's usually classified as a country artist.
Doesn't matter where they put her in the rack, though. She's a top-notch
singer-songwriter, one of the best out there today.
Come On Come On
really hangs together as an album rather than just a collection of songs.
Several of the songs are really excellent, and all the lesser ones are solid. Some
of the high points are "I Take My Chances," "Passionate Kisses," and
"I Feel Lucky." These pop songs are heavy on guitar and piano
arrangements, and the tunes are catchy and very singable. In contrast, "Only a
Dream" is one of the most haunting songs I've ever heard, and it gives me chills
every time I hear it. The album's title song, too, is an amazing ballad. Both
these songs show how MCC uses the telling detail to set the mood, the same way a short
story writer would. As a whole, this album is a testament to MCC's versatility as an
artist.
Stones in the Road
is another strong album, although it has a different feel from Come On Come On.
The very first song, "Why Walk When You Can Fly," sets the mood for the
rest of the album with a fiddle and a folk feel. That folk sound is continued later
by "Jubilee," "Stones in the Road," and "John Doe No. 24."
One of the great things about MCC is that she mixes personal and social themes, and
I think that's where the folk influence is strongest. "House of Cards" and
"Shut Up and Kiss Me" are rock songs, and sometimes you'll hear a slide guitar
that makes you want to check the liner notes and see if maybe Bonnie Raitt is playing on
them.
Both these albums are characterized by themes
of personal development, emotional recovery, the power of memory, and social conscience.
I like the way MCC writes songs, but I also respect her ability to sing someone
else's song and make it her own, whether it's Mark Knopfler's "The Bug" or
Lucinda Williams' "Passionate Kisses." By the same token, MCC's song
"Stones in the Road" was recorded by Joan Baez. This sharing and playing
off each other is something I like about folk and country music that I don't see so much
in other genres. An extension of that practice is the guest list on any MCC album --
her backup music and vocals are provided by an eclectic range of artists including Shawn
Colvin, Branford Marsalis, the Indigo Girls, Lee Roy Parnell, Rosanne Cash, Joe Diffie,
and Trisha Yearwood.
I recommend either or both of these CDs to
anyone who likes the work of other women with acoustic guitars. Mary Chapin
Carpenter has a great voice, and she writes songs that make you think as well as sing.
|
