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Celebrated Singer/Songwriter Carrie Newcomer Releases New Album Before And After On Rounder Records, February 23, 2010
November 20th, 2009
by Rounder Records
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NOVEMBER 2009
"Rapturously tuneful, Newcomer's material asks all the right questions and refuses to settle for easy answers."
- Rolling Stone
Burlington, MA - Rounder Records is pleased to announce Carrie Newcomer's latest album Before and After, set for release on February 23rd, 2010. The acclaimed singer/songwriter praised by the Dallas Morning News for her "warm, rich alto and penchant for exquisite melodies" has created a brand new album that captures her uniquely irreverent and spiritual take on the world. This latest release, Newcomer emphasizes "is not an album about being flashy or playing lots of notes, it's about playing the most elegant notes and placing them perfectly." And indeed, Before and After combines the very best of Newcomer's folk-roots sound, overlaid with Appalachian and classical influences. Featuring a special guest appearance from Mary Chapin Carpenter, coupled with Newcomer's voice, the album launches itself with an unforgettably haunting and beautiful collaboration from two of acoustic music's most resonant female vocalists.
"Our world is filled with endless distractions that ask us to move ever faster and focus less, but it is when I slow down and pay attention that I'm actually present in my life," says Newcomer, who encourages her listeners to stop and reflect on the small things on Before and After. Continually examining herself and the world around her, Newcomer muses, "I've come to believe there are no easy answers in this life, but there are some very good questions." Newcomer investigates these questions on Before and After, creating an insightful and lyrical celebration of change and transformation.
Co-produced by David Weber at Airtime Studios in Bloomington, Indiana, Before and After is Newcomer's twelfth release on Rounder, with prior albums including Regulars & Refugees, The Age of Possibility, The Gathering of Spirits, the Betty's Diner collection and her last album, the critically acclaimed The Geography of Light. The melodious sound on Before and After results from closely working with a core of exceptional musicians who combine piano, violin, mandolin, cello, bass and percussion with Newcomer's adept guitar work and soulful voice, which the Austin Statesman has described as being "as rich as Godiva chocolate." The album also features a second stunning duet featuring special guest Krista Detor on "Do No Harm." As always, Newcomer's work is inspired and influenced by her friendships and collaborations with influential authors, theologians and fellow songwriters, including Parker J. Palmer, Phillip Gulley, Jim Wallis, Brian McLaren, Scott Russell Sanders, Barbara Kingsolver and Jill Bolte Taylor.
It is no surprise that her music has been praised in Rolling Stone, The Village Voice, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Acoustic Guitar, Performing Songwriter, Paste Magazine and many other outlets. She has toured with Alison Krauss and Union Station, and her song "I Should've Known Better" was recorded by Nickel Creek on their Grammy®-winning, gold- selling album This Side. Her successful 2008 release, The Geography of Light, earned her Artist of the Year and Album of the Year from Folk Wax Magazine.
In addition to a busy year of recording and touring, in 2009 Newcomer was invited by The American Centre to visit India as a cultural ambassador, where she met and performed concerts with Indian musicians, and taught workshops on songwriting and community involvement - continuing her emphasis on outreach and helping others. About her impressions of India, Newcomer says, "music can be a language deeper than words. I love our differences. Cultures are rich, and what makes each culture unique should be celebrated, but I was also powerfully moved by what we share as a human family."
ROUNDER RECORDS America's Premier Independent Label PUBLICITY OFFICE: One Rounder Way, Burlington, Massachusetts 01803 617-218-4495 | fax 617-354-4840 | www.rounder.com/publicity
For more information and upcoming tour dates, visit www.carrienewcomer.com and www.rounder.com.
Track list for Before and After
1. Before and After (featuring a special guest appearance from Mary Chapin Carpenter)
2. Ghost Train
3. I Do Not Know Its Name
4. Stones in the River
5. If Not Now
6. A Small Flashlight
7. I Meant To Do My Work Today
8. A Simple Change of Heart
9. Hush
10. Coy Dogs
11. Do No Harm
12. I Wish I May, I Wish I Might
13. Bonus Track: A Crash of Rhinoceros
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For more information, please contact: Pamela Murphy at PFA Media | 212.334.6116 | pmurphy@pfamedia.net or Sarah Leach at Rounder Records | 617.218.4483 | sleach@rounder.com
Press materials (including high-res photos) are available for download at www.rounder.com/publicity