Customer Reviews

Betty's Diner: The Best of Carrie Newcomer

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As it is with all high forms of art, there are multiple levels at which an artist's work can be taken. Taken at its simplest level, Betty's Diner: The Best of Carrie Newcomer will delight new listeners with a great representation of her work. A good CD to begin to familiarize a person with her talents.

Yet no one should be lulled into thinking this is just some collection of light stuff. Because although Carrie can sing about the funny little things in every day life like no one else, she will also grab hold of your soul once you really listen. Enter the most precious levels of Carrie's music ... her unique ability to bring listeners into awareness of what matters most. And yet she never leaves you just hanging there. Somehow Carrie delivers a grace and peace and some kind of inexplicable healing love via her music that transcends far beyond human talent. It is a gift.

Betty's Diner, as with every other CD Carrie has ever released, will take you there ... if you let it. Long-time fans (and new fans alike) will be blown away (I think) by the first song on the CD, "Toward the Horizon". The only thing better than playing it over and over and over is hearing her sing it in person. Asking yourself what that lovely - yet painful - song might mean in your own life.

My preferences in music are all over the place. I'll try listening to about anything that is recommended to me. Yet there is something about Carrie Newcomer's music that is so necessary to me - it's like coming home, no matter where we have wandered, or what we have done while we were away. Betty's Diner - it's a good place to get fed a daily dose of what we all need.

"Betty's Diner" really is the best of Carrie Newcomer's work! Carrie has a magical gift of translating her personal experiences to feelings, dilemmas, and questions that her listeners find familiar. This collection of songs reminds us that connecting to other people is the essence of life. Fishing with our dad, reluctantly saying goodbye to our mom, holding hands with our best friend, sharing eggs and toast with a confidant, or admiring a cute bowling baby from afar--these are the important moments of life to be treasured, Carrie reminds us through her music.

I am a "newcomer" to this singer but I was so impressed by what I heard. Her voice is husky but she varies her music in such a way so that most of her songs sound unique and original. I liken her at times to Mary Chapin Carpenter. I found Carrie through my searches of Jonatha Brooke, who's new CD leaves fans in angst, Indigo Girls, who's new CD has a number of bright lights within, and Lucy Kaplansky, who wishes she could come through with the variety, clever lyrics and sheer fun found in this CD. I'm not a country music fan and there's a bit too much of the twang for these ears, but the acoustic and spiritual numbers are really fine. I feel fortunate to have heard this CD and I'm anxious to get to know Carrie better.

Amazing!! I love Carrie's music... it's fun and flavorful, yet always tells a story. If I don't personally identify with it, I know someone who can. I've recommended her music to friends going through hard times and need some inspiration! Personally, I have found something that moves me, it gets deep down in my soul and I'm just looking forward to her next album!

Carrie can bond with a live audience or a listener to her CDs with equal ease. Her music is complex and simple at the same time, like warm coffee with a hit of bourbon. Carrie seems to have the uncanny ability to look into humanity's soul and find the tender parts. If you like Elizabeth Mitchell (of Ida), Nanci Griffith, or John Prine...take a listen.

I have been listening to Carrie's music for more than 10 years now, and have introduced many many people to her music. Instead of picking the album that best fits the person, I will be keeping a couple of "Betty's" on hand. It contains some of the best of her other albums. That said, some real gems are missing--but at 17 tracks, how many more could she have chosen?

When it comes to Carrie's music, I'm sort of a newcomer (insert groan here), but I actually bought the album that came AFTER this one first (Regulars and Refugees). In my opinion, THAT CD is her best material, with almost every song being a gem.
THIS CD, however, is not bad at all. There are some great tracks (I'll Go Too, A Gathering of Spirits, The Moon Over Tuscon), and some not-so-great (Bowling Baby). And the title sounds much more alive on this CD than it's remix on 'Regulars'. This is probably a good retrospective of her previous CD's, and if you pay attention to which songs came from each CD, you can trace the maturing of her sound and of her songwriting. It makes me definitely want to go out and purchase 'A Gathering of Spirits'.
The main problem, as is the case with many 'Best of' CD's, is that it is merely a collection of songs that don't really fit well together. Some songs are wonderfully powerful or emotional, but sound very out-of-place sandwiched between other songw that bear no lyrical similarity and little (if any) musical continuity.
If not for her gift of songcraft, this CD would be rated lower. If you're into the economy of 'Best of' CD's, this one should be on you're list. If you want to REALLY experience an artist, expecially one with the depth of Ms. Newcomer, then I'd say start with 'Regulars and Refugees' and work your way back, skipping over this one.

If you don't know Carrie Newcomer's music, this is a great place to start - 3 terrific new songs plus a dozen of her best cuts from previous releases. If you do know her music, this will replace the CD you keep burning of "my favorites" for your friends. Carrie is a bit like Laura Nyro -- she mixes tender and funny with passion and great melodies. The title track is poignant and hits the heart; "Bowling Baby" is a hoot. Allison Krauss, Jennifer Kimball and others guest on other cuts, along with fine musicians who complement Newcomer's warm alto.

In the song that shares the name of her latest album, Betty's Diner, Carrie Newcomer paints lyrical portraits of everyday people who gather there for a "cup of something kind." Through her music, she brings our attention to the holiness of simple things and helps us embrace both the beauty and suffering that is part of life.

If you haven't listened to Carrie Newcomer's music before, this cd would be a good place to start. It features "Toward the Horizon," which you will want to crank up good and loud on your stereo. "Bowling Baby" is a fun song written from the viewpoint of the guy behind the counter who gives you the shoes. The rest of the cd (15 more great songs) will carry you through a wide range of emotions, as her live performances (and life itself) inevitably do.

Several years ago, when I found information about a (song)writing workshop Carrie was giving, I had my librarian husband find some of her work. I'd never heard of her. After we first listened to "Towards the Horizon" in the car, hubby just turned to me and said, "She's GOOD." Because of the nature of a "greatest hits" album, there's no sense of an overall storyline like there is in her other albums, but this is an EXCELLENT introduction to a musician who has something to say. BUY IT!! :)