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Singer's music has Midwestern attitude

February 1st, 2008
by The Newark Advocate

Singer's music has Midwestern attitude

The Newark Advocate

2/1/08

 

For singer-songwriter Carrie Newcomer, there is nothing more powerful than an authentic voice. And for the Indiana-based musician, that voice is Midwestern.

 

“It’s good-hearted. It’s plain-spoken sometimes,” she said. “I am never going to write like someone from the island of Manhattan. I’m the kind, Midwestern lady. I’m the woman who brings the casserole.”

 

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Mike Morris, executive director at the Midland Theatre, said Newcomer has a large following in the Midwest. Her concert Friday at the Midland, part of the intimate Stage Door Cabaret Series, is already sold out.

 

“You can relate to her so well,” he said. “Her style is straight-forward and accessible.”

 

Newcomer’s roots are in Bloomington, Ind., where she lives in a house in the woods. Yet she also has an undeniable wanderlust, she said.

 

“I think there’s a little bit of anthropologist in all songwriters.”

 

Newark is the second stop on her “The Geography of Light” tour, which celebrates the release of her 11th album on Rounder Records. Local audience members will hear a preview of the recording, due out Feb. 12. Joining Newcomer on stage will be pianist Gary Walters.

 

Her work has received praise from Rolling Stone, Billboard, the Village Voice, The Associated Press and more. “The Gathering of Spirits” was chosen as Album of the Year by FolkWax.

 

Spiritual themes and the search for meaning are undercurrents in much of her writing, but she avoids being preachy or packaging things too neatly. In “You’d Think by Now,” she sings of learning the same lessons over and over again, yet accepting her imperfections gracefully.

 

“There’s a spiritual current in my life,” she said. “I approach it in an inclusive way, not exclusive.”

 

During each album tour she contributes to a charity that aligns with the theme of her recording. In the past, she has given to Second Harvest, Habitat for Humanity and Nature Conservancy. This year, 10 percent of profits will go to American Friends Service Committee (www.afsc.org).