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Mary
Chapin Carpenter - Between Here and Gone (Columbia/Sony)
Released:
April, 2004
In the summer of 1992, I stood
in the wings of a stage in Detroit, and watched Mary Chapin Carpenter and
her band play in front of about 50-thousand people at Hart Plaza, the
open-air downtown venue.
They rocked that place. She was the new thing in country music - hot as a
firecracker, and I watched as she and guitarist John Jennings blew kisses
to each other. I could read her lips as she told him she loved him. My
wife said, "I think she's got a thing going with that guitar player."
No kidding.
That was cool - a hot band, hot tunes, and watching two people in love -
having fun. It was fun to watch - a great show. We waited weeks before "I
feel Lucky," which we heard for the first time at that show, was released.
A year or so later, I watched "Austin City Limits," and she spoke of love
gone bad. Hmmm. John Jennings was still there in the band, though. Now,
for years - I've read of an on-again, off-again romantic relationship
between Ms. Carpenter and Mr. Jennings.
I've listened to those very reflective, always intelligent, always
master-crafted lyrics, and couldn't help but wonder - well, you know. She
wears her heart on her sleeve. What are those lyrics really about?
Things have changed. Ms. Carpenter is married now. It's not to John
Jennings, and John Jennings isn't producing albums any longer - at least
not this one. Piano guy Matt Rollings directs this effort.
The disc is superb. After three years off, I was afraid we were going to
get mumbly, flat-sounding stuff, like everything else these days. Nope.
Ms. Carpenter's great alto is spot-on, and the backing is sparse, but
world-class.
And those lyrics. Those haunting, serious-as-a-heart-attack lyrics.
I didn't see what the advertised single is on this album. But listen to
"Grand Central Station," the story of an ironworker working to clear
Ground Zero in New York, haunted by the souls lost there.
"I ain't no hero mister, just a working man - And all these voices keep on
asking me to take them - To Grand Central Station."
My God.
Okay - the whole disc is good - but the ones that jump out include "Luna's
Gone," the story of a woman who's just a little off - and the title track,
"Between Here and Gone."
The payoff for me is usually an up-tempo cut on the album - and "Beautiful
Racket" almost fills that bill. It speaks not of timeless stuff, but today
- "...between car pools and cell phone calls..."
But the whole album seems to have a melancholy quality about it.
You want to say, "Are you okay?"
And you wonder about those lyrics.
Four microphones (out of four)
- Doug Boynton
(04/29/04) |
