Mary Chapin Carpenter
Album: Ashes And Roses
Label: Decca
Tracks: 13
Website: http://www.marychapincarpenter.com

This is a beautiful album born out of great personal tragedy for Mary Chapin Carpenter. In recent times she has suffered several devastating experiences- the breakdown of her marriage and subsequent divorce, the death of her father and her own serious illness [ a pulmonary embolism]. The pervading emotions are of loss and grief but these are tempered by the recognition that life goes on and one must move on. It is an astonishingly personal album, even by Mary Chapin's standards. She lays her soul bare and takes the listener on a hour-long journey through dark times and into the light at the end of the tunnel. Although the musical setting is [in the main] acoustic, impeccably played folk/rock, without a note out of place, this is far from easy listening, due to the subject matters about which Mary Chapin writes. Although that subject matter is often dark, it is, ultimately, a deeply rewarding experience to listen to the album from start to finish. Only an exceptional songwriter like Mary Chapin could carry this off.

The album begins with "Transcendental Reunion "in which Mary Chapin describes arriving at an airport and her "unconcealed envy"at the the emotional reunions of "grandfathers and babies" and "friends and relations ", whilst there is no one to greet her. However, she finds solace in the shared experiences and of travelling from "night into day".

"What to Keep and What to Throw Away"is a very sad song about the end of a relationship /marriage and moving out and moving on to a new start. We find Mary Chapin going through old shoeboxes and burning the lists and letters before "one more final walkthrough "of her former home. The theme of separation and loss continues into "The Swords We Carried", a melancholic but beautiful song about vulnerability and not being able to protect oneself from hurt - "all betrayal is like dying in slow motion". Powerful stuff indeed.

"Another Home"is about letting go and starting afresh "There's another home somewhere I close my eyes to see ". "Chasing What's Already Gone"is rather more upbeat, where Mary looks back to her childhood and wonders what she might have done instead of "chasing what's already gone". Her father appears to her and assures that she is going to be alright, which gives her strength.

"Learning The World"is a beautifully observed song about the devastating effect of aging and senility, where an adult becomes a helpless child again -"All that you used to know is no use at all ". This theme will be very familiar to anyone who has cared for an aged relative.

The mood changes with "I Tried Going West"in which the author travels far and wide to try escape from a relationship that has turned sour but realises that she has run out of road and out of reasons to run and eventually returns home. "Don't Need Much To Be Happy "is a lovely acoustic ballad about finding happiness "all in good time"and is really the antithesis to Mary Chapin's succesful cover of Lucinda Williams' "Passionate Kisses", where the protagonist listed what she demanded immediately to make her happy. "Old Love"continues this theme, in that Mary Chapin describes the kind of love that she wants to find.

The most overtly commercial track on the album is the duet with the inimitable James Taylor, "Soul Companion". This is a feelgood track in which James' voice perfectly complements Mary Chapin's. It will sound great on the radio.

"New Year's Day"has a cinematic quality, vividly recalling certain memories ["This is what it looked like"] and feeling optimistic about the future ["We dwell in possibilities on New Year's Day"].

"Fading Away "is a superb song about the memory of a former relationship diminishing as time goes by "moment by moment, day by day"and the world is returning to how it was before she met her former partner.

The album ends with "Jericho "a gentle song of reconciliation which features Mary Chapin's voice accompanied by a single piano, sensitively played by Matt Rollins. It is a fitting end to a beautiful album. It will take some time to get to know it but if you do, it will be worth it because the songwriting is truly outstanding.

Peter Cowley