Mary-Chapin Carpenter
Hard Way
Rhythm of the Blues
Not Too Much to Ask
Passionate Kisses - Mary Chapin Carpenter, Williams, Lucinda
Only a Dream
Come on Come On
Skeptics might say that Carpenter s smash version of Lucinda Williams s Passionate Kisses pales beside the tougher original, or that Mary Chapin is but a folkie in poor-fitting country clothes. They re not exactly wrong,.
more » but her million-selling third album finds its charm in a spare Americana sound and smart, imaginative material. Carpenter bridges country and folk audiences, much as Emmylou Harris has done, and as few others have managed. And she s a better singer than generally recognized. Originals such as I Am a Town and the title cut are genuinely evocative, and Walking Through Fire and I Take My Chances have an emotional edge that is as raw as it has been rare on country radio in the 90s. Roy Francis Kasten
K.D. Lang
Pulling out all the Nashville stops, k.d. lang s 1988 album is a meticulously crafted work, her bid for mainstream country acceptance, and an homage to her idol Patsy Cline. Surrounded by the brilliance of Owen Bradley s s.
more »tring-laced production and a host of legendary pickers (Buddy Emmons and Pete Wade) and singers (Kitty Wells, Brenda Lee, Loretta Lynn), lang s voice soars and moans like a dove. After the lush Chris Isaak-penned opener Western Stars, lang follows with more-familiar country writers, from Roger Miller ( Lock, Stock and Teardrops ) to Harlan Howard ( I m Down to My Last Cigarette ). Both a commercial (the album went gold) and artistic success, Shadowland ranks as one of the best country records of the 1980s. Roy Francis Kasten