Roots

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