The latest releases reviewed
CARLENE CARTER
Stronger
Yep Roc
****
The title comes from the phrase "what doesn't kill you
makes you . . . " Reading through the grim details of the life of
this once-glittering offshoot of the Cash dynasty, it was clearly a
close thing. Following a promising career in the 1980s, Carter saw
her life fall apart under the weight of dodgy relationships and
even dodgier habits. Her life reached a nadir when her partner
(Heartsbreaker's drummer Howie Epstein) OD'd, closely followed by
the death of her mother, June Carter Cash, her sister and her
stepfather. All this has been distilled into this admirable
collection of songs, which manage, somehow, to keep the sunny side
out, whether it be punchy country-pop rock and more traditional
country fare. Carter's story is there for those who like the
details, but this is actually a heartening story of survival,
celebrated in the duet, It Takes One to Know One, with her new
husband, American actor Joe Breen (no relation).
www.carlenecarter.org
JOE BREEN
Download tracks:
Why Be Blue, I'm So Cool, It Takes One to Know One
TIFT MERRITT
Another Country
Universal
***
It's hard not to feel a little twang of disappointment
at this third album by the woman described by Uncut magazine as the
most accomplished American female singer-songwriter to emerge in a
decade. Merritt's debut stirred memories of Emmylou in her prime;
her second album had a gritty country-soul personality. This
collection, mostly written during a sojourn in Paris, seems tame by
comparison. Perhaps it's the overly safe production, which
highlights her voice to the detriment of the overall balance.
Merritt is a lively spark with an engagingly soft centre. Here she
is mostly just soft. That said, she writes and sings with an open
heart, and her melodies have a remarkable knack of always feeling
warm and familiar. She can do better, but this will do nicely for
now.
www.tiftmerritt.com
JOE BREENDownload tracks:
Something to Me, Hopes Too High, My Heart Is Free