Mary Chapin Carpenter Album: “State Of The Heart”

"State of the Heart" has to be my other all time favorite album of Mary's, next to "Stones in the Road". I can literally hear the heartache come through on "Never Had It So Good" and "Goodbye Again". The beauty of Mary Chapin Carpenter's music is that it is honest and often heartbreaking. Plus there is none of that annoying twanginess you normally hear in most country music. "Slow Country Dance" is a charming ballad that almost makes me want to dance with someone to this song. I have been a longtime ardent fan of Mary's music for a long time and I continue to do so for as long as she puts out music.

I love "mwreview's" Spotlight Review of this album and don't think there's much I can say to improve upon it. I laughed out loud at the "Would anyone keep wearing this shirt?" line. Except that, actually, MW, there are some weirdos out there who probably would wear a shirt that their cat had given birth on if that was their all-time favorite shirt and they had washed it in Lysol.

But I do understand those critics of Carpenter who find her a little too given to "writerly" lyrics. This album has "This Shirt" and a few other moments; and of course, there's "I Am A Town" (not from this release). But unlike some of those critics, I don't call these songs "Creative Writing 101" exercises at all. The songs may be a little transparent in their conceits, but compared to most tunes out there, they're good enough to be at least grad student level.

I've only recently started seriously listening to Mary Chapin Carpenter, which is odd in a way, since I've known about her for years. I remember seeing her on Public Television and other broadcasts and being duly impressed--but somehow not really following up on her music to the extent of actually purchasing any. But I do recall, after catching her on Austin City Limits or a similar program, thinking that this was a "solid" performer. "Solid" became my buzzword re: Mary Chapin Carpenter, and so far everything I've heard seems to bear out this initial perception. The singing, the songwriting, the level of musicianship--it's all there.

To say that there is not a bad track on STATE OF THE HEART scarcely suffices. All the tracks are darn good. If I could be allowed another buzzword, I'd have to opt for "confidence." She seems completely at home with this material--a nice balance between the wry upbeat country and sensitive ballads. From the sly delivery of the opener "How Do?" to the powerfully emotive closer "It Won't Bring You," she doesn't miss a beat, literally or figuratively. She is just, well, "solid" throughout. And "confident."

I tend to prefer lyrical and impressionistic songwriters to storytellers--more Laura Nyro than Joni Mitchell. Mary Chapin Carpenter, however, is a lyrical storyteller (like Joni at her very best, actually). A song like "Goodbye Again" is thematically similar to a Nyro classic like "Lonely Women," but stylistically, it's of a different order. Not better or worse, just different. There's more than one way to tell a story of heartbreak. Mary Chapin Carpenter opts for a more narrative approach than, say, Nyro would--and in her case it works beautifully. She knows how to construct a three minute short story. That's a rare talent. And, you know, it's OK to be a little "writerly" when you know how to write.

This is the MCC CD I first heard, and it for many years was the soundtrack of my life. This was the CD in my portable CD player when I took the bus to move from Muskegon, Michigan to Denver, Colorado in 1994. How Do, I never have really taken to. I always felt she wrote it at the request of her record label to make it more country radio friendly. I just never felt her heart was in it. Then there was Something of a Dreamer. Has Chapin met me? Does she know me. This IS me! This song describes me so well, I am an extremely romantic man, who knows that now at 45, I will never have a partner in my life, but I will always dream of it. Never Had it So Good is the song I would like to tell the very few lovers in my life so they would understand. It reminds me of a line from the movie The Way We Were, When Katie tells Hubble (I'm paraphrasing here) That he will never find anyone who will love him as much and be as good for him.

I read a couple of reviews that kind of say that This Shirt is more a writerly type song than a true performance. I would disagree. I think many of us look at life by possessions that we keep over the years. We open a drawer, there is that article, and it makes us realize how our lives have turned out and make us wonder about the things that might have been. Quittin' Time continues the mood in a different tempo (The slow version on the CD Party Doll and Other Favorites actually makes me cringe) that makes me understand my own failures in relationships.

The next two songs bring out different moods. Down in Mary's Land to me is just a great summer time song, cruising down to the shore. It reminds me of my years living on the Lake Michigan shore, which actually has sandy beaches very similar to ocean beaches. "Goodbye Again" is my life-that's it in a nutshell. I read another review where someone said that it reminded them of an old spinster. Well, if I was a woman, it would be me. It has been my life for 20 years. Except there is no one that calls.

I reread this review and it sounds like I am full of self pity. Nothing could be futher from the truth. I am just saying that Chapin writes universal feelings, and you do not have to be a woman to understand them. An outstanding album, and my pick for the best CD of any genre the year it was released.

I consider myself one of the greatest fans of Mary Chapin Carpenter. Her music has touched me in ways that no other artist has. The songs on this album are some of the best songs I have ever heard - not just by her, but in general! If you are like me and love her music, buy this record - it is bound to be her best record. It is packed with all of her "classics" as they are called - "Something of a Dreamer," "You've Never Had it so Good", and more! Buy it!

I was in a hurry when I ordered this and did not see the note about this not being the original product. We actually have the original 1989 product but had misplaced the disc, so I thought we'd just get another copy. When my wife tried to rip this into MP3 format for her portable player it generated a lot of errors and that's when we dicovered we had been sold something other than the original product.

I'm disappointed that Amazon is selling this type of product, that resembles what most of us would have called a bootleg CD a few years ago, even if Sony has given them permission to do so. When you buy a CD you expect the lyrics, credits, recording information, and artwork. Others online vendors still list the original issue, UPC code 0746442282, "Columbia 44228".