Disco de Mary Chapin Carpenter: “Stones In The Road”

Mary Chapin Carpenter is one of those rare artists who revealed dramatic growth in her choice of subject matter and expanded her musical stylings with each new album. Until this release. Stones In The Road takes a few steps back to the ballad-heavy, acoustic sounds of 1989's State Of The Heart, her breakthrough album.

Lyrically, Carpenter's songs are as richly detailed as ever, if not more so. Be it helping someone overcome an addiction on "Jubilee" or pining for a lost love on "The End Of My Pirate Days," Carpenter makes ample use of metaphors in creating some fine poetry. Especially compelling is "John Doe No. 24," a somewhat biographical tale of a deaf-blind-mute. Branford Marsalis' exquisite sax accompaniment generates a vibe that makes it one of the standout tracks on the album.

The wry social commentaries and humorous novelty numbers (which contributed so strongly to the success of Carpenter's previous album Come On Come On) are in lesser abundance here. The leadoff single "Shut Up And Kiss Me" and the tropical "Tender When I Want To Be" are the only light-hearted songs on the album, while "House Of Cards" - which deals with hidden fears and anxieties - and the gentle, philosophical "Why Walk When You Can Fly" provide the sociological observations.

Carpenter wrote all thirteen songs on Stones On The Road by herself, admirable to be sure. Still, the second half of the album (which is comprised solely of moderately paced songs), cries out for one of her rousing covers, like Gene Vincent's "Right Now" (from Shooting Straight In The Dark) or Lucinda Williams' "Passionate Kisses" (from Come On Come On). Even with the limp finish, Stones In The Road is a very fine album. But after Come On Come On, it was natural to expect more from Mary Chapin Carpenter.

Though many reviewers compare Stones in the Road to her prior album (Come On, Come On), this album was my first exposure to Mary. I first bought it soon after it was released and have had it close to my stereo ever since. As a person who has wandered through artists and genres as the years have gone by I have never once grown tired of this album. I bought it before I met my wife and have now had it through seven years of marriage and two children.

Music means a lot of different things to people, and it means many different things to me personally, and I have come to the conclusion that Stones in the Road is about as perfect a compilation of songs and music as I've found by a modern artist. The music by itself is enchanting, thoughtful, and provides a diversity of emotive and poignant melodies. The lyrics by themselves are powerful poetry, and combined with the music they create songs that are incredibly significant in their simplicity and truthfulness.

This is a record that continues to teach me about life and love the more I listen to it. "Outside Looking In" epitomizes my years of being single and feeling alone and helps remind me of this when I look at others who are there now. "My Pirate Days" tells stories of reconciling youth to adulthood when adulthood doesn't seem to measure up. "Stones in the Road" answers questions about perspective and values. "John Doe No. 24" helps me in a small way to understand the world of my son who has autism. Some may find these songs to be too sentimental or not flashy or upbeat enough, but I strongly believe that there isn't enough music in the world like this that ponders the simple truths in life.

I listen to this music and mourn that there are so few musicians who can reach into their heart and give the world beauty like this. It's a good album to listen to when you're on the porch at dusk in the summer pondering life, when you're getting over a bad fight with your spouse, or when you're feeling like you're not making a difference in the world. Mary knows the human heart. I tend to feel like she's teaching me a thinkg or two when I listen.

People who can write and sing and do both in the quality of Mary Chapin Carpenter are few and far between. Every song here was written my Mary-Chapin and she writes every song as if it will someday be a classic. I could tell you all about each song but I don't want to write a book but every song here has something to offer. Not an ounce of filler will be found. If you want a first Mary-Chapin album, get this and "Shooting Straight In The Dark", an equally good album.

I am surprised that this album isn't at all popular. There are so few albums that I know of that I can go through from start to finish without skipping a track in between. Every song here is special - listening to it leaves me completely shaken. All songs have to do with some aspect of the human condition. Whether it is about pain or joy, the one thing common to all of the songs is the honesty and the seriousness underlying it. For all those who are on the lookout for song writers that really express - please know that they seldom can get better than Mary Chapin Carpenter.

I own nearly 800 CDs, but there are few that I would feel compelled to review. Stones in the Road is an absolute stand-out. It has been part of my collection since it was first released, and it continues to amaze.