Before & After

Carrie Newcomer, Before and After (Rounder Records, 2010)
Reviewed by Abu Ramses – All Tracks FCC CLEAN

Singer/songwriter Carrie Newcomer comes from a Quaker Michigan/Indiana background - an ethos reflected in these acoustic, folky, mid-tempo ballads. Each one is a soulful story. Carrie’s alto voice – the central element in all the tracks – is melodious, smooth, warm, and graceful, recalling Judy Collins, Sarah McLachlan; she also plays guitars and bouzouki. The melodies are all similar; the strength is in the words. But unfortunately there is no list of lyrics.

I like tracks 1, 5, 11
Tracks
1. Before and After – 4:32, vocal harmony by Mary Chapin Carpenter
2. Ghost Train – 4:36, “sometimes there is nothing left to do but to pack it up and move along”
3. I Do Not Know Its Name – 4:36, cello backup
4. Stones in the River – 3:42, small actions can have large consequences
5. If Not Now – 3:44, a traditional spiritual sound, lyrics invoke the Talmud
6. A Small Flashlight – 3:31,
7. I Meant To Do My Work Today – 2:49
8. A Simple Change Of Heart – 3:33
9. Hush – 3:30, “Let the silence be the place we meet / In the space between heart beats”
10. Coy Dogs – 4:00
11. Do No Harm – 4:34, with Krista Detor - “The only law here is love. We can call the kingdom down here on earth…Beat your swords into plows”
12. I Wish I May I Wish I Might – 2:47, let’s go to the county fair
13. A Crash of Rhinoceros – 3:02, a children’s song