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The Herald-Sun: Another illuminating album by Carrie Newcomer
April 30th, 2010
by DAWN BAUMGARTNER VAUGHAN
You don't dive into a Carrie Newcomer album. You wade in, and the music surrounds you like calming waters. A first listen doesn't quite convey the Midwest singer/songwriter's full talents. But if you immerse yourself in a few songs, letting it come to you -- that's when you see the true value and meaning.
The Triangle has been a regular tour stop for Newcomer for several years now. Saturday she'll be back again at the ArtsCenter in Carrboro, on tour for her latest album, "Before & After," just released on Rounder Records.
Newcomer's songs are the kind that you like more the more you listen. They're subtle. She is a Quaker, and listening to "Before & After" is a bit like going to a Quaker meeting. You sit quietly until the spirit moves you.
"Stones in the River" is a quiet but meaningful song: "And the truth is/most of us will never know/where our best intentions go/still we'll drop another stone."
"If Not Now" is more overt, calling us to action: "If not now/tell me when/we may never see this moment, place and time again."
The imagery that goes with Newcomer's albums is usually darkened, but with light. On her last album cover, "Geography of Light," Newcomer stands dressed in black while rays of light shine from above onto the ground at her feet. For "Before & After," she is pictured on a train. Though the train car is dark inside, outside the window is the dawn -- or perhaps dusk -- of the day. Newcomer, whose voice is as soothing as you'd find on NPR, illuminates the edges of our world.
"I Meant To Do My Work Today" is a lighthearted song, the kind you nod your head in agreement with as well as a light laugh, just like when she performs her live song about e-mail, "Don't Push Send." The bonus track on "Before After" is also a live crowd pleaser, "A Crash of Rhinoceros" that runs through all the ways to describe a group of animals. The whimsical "I Wish I May, I Wish I Might," makes you yearn for the sunny day of a small town festival.
For Newcomer fans, "Before After" is a welcome addition to their collection. Though first-timers might want to check out "Betty's Diner: The Best of Carrie Newcomer" first, this new album showcases her talents just as well.
WHO: Carrie Newcomer
WHEN: 8:30 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: The ArtsCenter, 300-G E. Main St., Carrboro
TICKETS: $15-$17
ON THE WEB: www.artscenterlive.org
BY DAWN BAUMGARTNER VAUGHAN
dvaughan@heraldsun.com; 419-6563