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Popdose - CD Reviews: Whitney Houston, Carrie Newcomer, and More
January 15th, 2010
by Jeff Giles
There’s beautiful music, and then there are the songs of Carrie Newcomer, an artist whose calm, clear vocals and unwavering commitment to simplicity have helped make her a darling of the ‘new folk’ scene for 30 years and counting. Her twelfth Rounder release, Before and After, adds another solid entry to a distinguished discography, and includes some of Newcomer’s most powerful music in the bargain.
True to form, Newcomer doesn’t waste a note here, imbuing each of Before and After’s 13 songs with all the timeless grace and quiet dignity you’d expect from an artist closely identified with the Quaker faith. The album even makes room for a little humor with the bonus track, “A Crash of Rhinoceros,” a sprightly tongue-twister that wouldn’t sound out of place on one of Pete Seeger’s collections of music for kids. Brief moment of levity aside, the album is a testament to the virtue of slowing down and paying attention to what matters — a call to quiet, to faith, to heart — and in the crowded clutter of digital noise that dominates the marketplace, these songs fairly startle as they soothe the soul. Steep yourself a pot of tea, settle down under a blanket, and let Carrie Newcomer gently remind you of the things that really matter.