Songwriting is not about being clever, flashy or fancy — it is about telling a compelling story in language and music with elegance and clarity.

Carrie Newcomer Biography

For singer/songwriter Carrie Newcomer, beauty is discovered in the midst of the ordinary. Life is experienced in the spaces between darkness and light. Truth is found in the bond between music and word.

Newcomer’s new Rounder release, The Geography of Light, is about navigating and exploring the appearance of light and shadow in our lives. It is a layered work. On one level, the listener experiences these types of connections through Newcomer’s lyrics, which explore life with a progressive spiritual sensibility. In a world that encourages us to move faster and think bigger, Newcomer invites the listener to slow down and reflect on the small things that make life worthwhile. As Rolling Stone wrote, “Newcomer asks all the right questions and refuses to settle for easy answers.” On another level, the listener hears a skillfully arranged and performed collection of folk roots tracks, with Appalachian and classical influences. Newcomer’s style is straightforward and accessible. Overall, she is not afraid to take on serious subjects, and does so with a healthy measure of good humor and self-awareness. For her, “songwriting is not about being clever, flashy or fancy—it is about telling a compelling story in language and music with elegance and clarity.” The result is a resonant soundtrack for a world that is both sacred and ordinary.

Recorded and produced by Newcomer and David Weber at Airtime Studios, The Geography of Light is Newcomer’s eleventh release on Rounder, with prior albums including The Age of Possibility, The Gathering of Spirits, the Betty’s Diner collection and her last album Regulars & Refugees. As her most intimate and lush work yet, The Geography of Light results from working closely with a core of exceptional musicians, including Gary Walters on piano, Chris Wagoner on violin, mandolin, dobro and ukulele, Mary Gaines on cello, Jeff Hedback on bass, Jim Brock on percussion, Keith Skooglund on guitar and Krista Detor on background vocals. At the center is Newcomer’s adept guitar work and resonant voice, the Austin Statesman called “as rich as Godiva chocolate.” From the haunting fiddle hook of “There is a Tree” to the string quartet accompaniment of “Lazarus” to the deep acoustic groove of “Where You Been”, this album is both timeless and contemporary. Also contributing to the project is Hugh Syme, whose artwork was designed with a sense of magical realism reinforcing the idea of expecting miracles in common places.