Aug 20, 2001 10:56 PM
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Mary Chapin Carpenter is technically classified as a country music artist however her music literally transcends the genre, living in a wonderful world all to its own. Mary Chapin Carpenter's strengths lie in her ability to create subtle and effective musical arrangements that explore life's stories, thoughts and memories. Carpenter writes all of her songs herself, and overall, her musical oeuvre is honest, heart felt and emotionally true in all its varying degrees.
Released in 1996, ''A Place in the World'' showcases Carpenter at her songwriting and singing best. A follow up to her 1994 album, ''Stones in the Road,'' ''A Place in the World'' continues Carpenter's journey of writing songs that explore and question our places of origin. ''A Place in the World'' is also a lot more upbeat than her previous albums, giving us hope that we can all find our place in the world.
The album opens with the catchy and uplifting beat of drums and a guitar, the song ''Keeping the Faith,'' which reminds us to live each day to the best of our abilities. Far from being religious, the song honestly reminds us that life isn't as bad as we sometimes make it out to be.
''Hero in Your Own Hometown'' continues the upbeat and positive message of the first song, and sprinkles into it the effective power of personal memory through the eyes of middle-age America. ''We were born during the boom times, played down in the bomb shelter / Suffered through the wonder years, and silence at the dinner hour / But once upon a summertime, out behind the old garage / We were buzzing on midnight, Luckys and Rolling Rock / Thinking we were heroes in our hometown.'' The lyrics captures time in an old-fashioned way, reminding us that even though time flies, we can still find a ''brand new road'' in life.
Her next song, ''I Can See It Now'' presents a storyteller exploring feelings we've all had, fearing the prospect of running into an old, lost love. Her lyrics represent feelings I've had myself personally, running into my old girlfriend at what seems to be the worst possible time. But through Carpenter's words and rhythms, we learn that even though life can treat us bad, we can still survive to find new love once again.
With ''I Want to be Your Girlfriend'' Carpenter's upbeat rhythms of the first two songs are back, as the storyteller finds a possible new crush to share life's wonders with, and the song is light-hearted in tone and detail, ''Never thought I'd ever wind up in a daze like this... wondering how you kiss.”
Her next song, ''Let Me Into Your Heart,'' takes us into a slow, methodical, almost jazzy rhythm, and here we really are entering the heart of the album. The words become even more real and true, with a confidence that you can snap your fingers to. The song opens with a perfect line that sets the overall effect of the song itself, saying ''You're like a cool breeze to a hot spell.''
''What if We Went to Italy?'' opens with a solo guitar strumming a simple and beautiful rhythm, and in a soft and wondering voice the singer asks, ''What if we went to Italy?'' It's a perfect song by Carpenter that wonderfully captures the tone of the entire album; if not her entire oeuvre, as she paints the picture of a perfect escape into an enjoyable, almost existential myth. Again, the song really represents thoughts that we've all had for escaping our fast-paced, pop-culture world. It's a slow, Italian flavor that always takes me into a restful, hazy mindset of reminiscence, making me wish I had the time and money to escape to Italy.
If ''Italy'' is a slow, dreamy and questioning escape of a song, then her next song, ''that's real'' jolts us back into reality in a subtly upbeat way. The lyrics represent something we all need to say to each other, and remind us that each individual is important and that we should all live and learn to appreciate one another. ''If you need something that not only feels right / something that's based on a real life... not some old line, or rose-colored dream... and that's real.'' And how real indeed.
''ideas are like stars'' is another perfect song, and again, it's one of Carpenter's best. ''Today Joseph is sitting alone, with occasional nods to the waitress / She tops off his cup while she''s snapping her gum, making her rounds on the lunch shift / Counting out coins, he leaves them arranged, in neat lines and circles and arcs / She just stares at the tip that spells out her name / and ideas are like stars.'' This opening stanza, and the way Carpenter has arranged it musically always brings me to tears every time I hear it. And each subsequent stanza from this first one builds on those ideas that are like stars. The lyrics show how we should capture those wonderful dreams of our past, our youth, and first loves and use them to make ourselves better individuals.
The best part of her music is, in spite of the powerful messages she puts forth, it''s far from preachy, it''s remarkable storytelling. You can picture that waitress, snapping her gum, and you can see in your mind the snapping of the gum in her mouth becoming still for a moment, with her breath being taken away as she pauses to consider the thought of the someone who took the time to notice her in such an interesting way. Carpenter’s lyrics play like a movie in your mind, her images are real and her ideas are like stars, you reach out for them and find hope in the world. And what other modern songwriter would make reference to Debussy in such a moving manner?
Song number nine, ''naked to the eye,'' brings us another upbeat rhythm, continuing the storyteller's personal journey through life and how she finds solace in the world around her, and in the love of her life.
And as ''a sudden gift of faith,'' starts to bring us to the end of this album, it's emotions are honest as the storyteller sings how, ''chances don't keep score / They just find us when we're there to find.'' It's almost an Oprahesque message when ''you just learn to wait for sudden gifts of fate,'' but the song really reminds us that if we lead honest and heartfelt lives, we will all be rewarded.
And with ''the better to dream of you,'' the lyrics tell us how ''Every story's got a chapter... that will be defined... by what's before and what comes after.'' And again, the lyrics explore the idea that life shapes who we are, and that we are the ones who make it positive or negative. It's a powerful message, and the text is subtle and beautifully executed, helping to create memorably effective songs.
The last song of the album, ''a place in the world'' finally brings us full circle, as the storyteller pushes forward on her walk through life, and ''What I'm looking for, after all this time, keeps me moving forward, trying to find... this place in the world.'' And the song reminds us that once we think we've found that inner peace and content with the world around us, we all must ''wrap (our) arms around it.'' So ultimately, the message of Carpenter's album really is just to embrace life and enjoy every day as it comes.
The imagery of Carpenter's songs is strong and real, with rhythms that are musically haunting, vivid and capture emotion in truly amazing ways. Mary Chapin Carpenter really is a true artistic storyteller, one who utilizes music in ways that truly span beyond the imagination. And for that, it's great.
Grade: A+
