Customer Reviews

Party Doll & Other Favorites

5 star:		(55)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Mary Chapin Carpenter is an extraordinary artist, one of the few capable of accurately reflecting the nature of being in your 20's and 30's and living in modern America. The selection of tracks on this CD proves over and over again that her singing comes from both the heart and the soul. Anyone interested in her musical career would find their money well-spent by buying this "greatest hits" colection. The mix of live performances and studio recordings is a rare treat to listeners, showing Carpenter's full range of talents. Although she is recognizably a throwback to Folk Music of the old school, Carpenter's songs comprise such crossover Pop, Blues and Country hits like "Passionate Kisses", "Down at The Twist and Shout", "You Can't Take Love for Granted", "I Feel Lucky", and "I'll Take my Chances". Thus, making her a peer of other such great performers as Willie Nelson, Linda Ronstadt, Trisha Yearwood, and the Mavericks. While this is a "greatest hits" CD, her career is still young and her listeners still have many more years of hearing more excellent music from her to look forward to! It was almost dissapointing, however, with all of this great music, much of it never having been released before, it was almost disapointing to see that the always moving "I am a Town" wasn't included on this CD.

Mary Chapin Carpenter is an extraordinary artist.The mix of live performances and studio tracks are great to have on a "greatest hits CD" I find it wonderfully amazing how well the songs were sung with heart and soul in her live verisons and how her voice could draw you in and make you feel like a close friend. If all live performances sounded just like the recording, why would we spend our money going to concerts when we could listen to a CD. I LOVE the new song "Almost Home" and have been touched by it in a very deep way. I will be seeing Mary in concert for the first time this Friday in Springfield Missouri so I cant comment on her stage presence, but I know she'll be wonderful.I have no expectations, I applaud her for having the guts to get up in front of thousands of people and sing her heart out.As my friend Oprah would say-"You Go Girl"

This CD can be classified as a greatest hits/ live collection. Many of MCC all time best are here. The added dimension of hearing them while she is in a performing venue only adds to the appeal. I love to hear the little asides MCC makes as she is introduced and as she begins to sing. They are priceless. It must have been hard to choose what went on the CD. The highlight is the hauntingly beautiful 10,000 Miles, first heard in the movie "Fly Away Home". I have searched high and low for a recording of that song. There is a good mix of old and new, an outstanding "I'll Take My Chances' and a breathtaking acoustic version of "Dreamland". This is a great CD and a must have for any MCC fan

Leave it to Mary Chapin Carpenter, one of the most innovative and uncompromising singer-songwriters of her generation, to reinvent the concept of greatest hits packages and turn it into a near-brilliant retrospective of her career. While other country artists are content to spit out uninspired, carbon-copy greatest hits albums, Carpenter has used the occasion to present "Party Doll and Other Favorites," an inspired blending of her many musical moods of the past dozen-or-so years. In part a compilation of eight of her biggest hits, the album also includes some rare tracks she recorded for other projects, three new songs and three album favorites that have never found their way to formulaic radio formats.

The album's true genius lies in the inclusion of live versions of several of Carpenter's biggest hits, with a slow, beautiful rendition of "Quittin' Time" and wonderful acoustic versions of "I Take My Chances" and "Stones in the Road" the obvious standouts. The only quibble is that all of her hits aren't presented this way, since the album versions of "I Feel Lucky," "Shut Up and Kiss Me," "Passionate Kisses," and "He Thinks He'll Keep Her" pale in comparison to the live versions she has presented in concert over the years.

Other inspired touches include the rare tracks presented within, including her cover of Mick Jagger's "Party Doll," which closes the album on a bittersweet note, the lovely lullaby "Dreamland," and her rendition of John Lennon's "Grow Old With Me," which is already a wedding favorite. The absolute highlight of the album, however, is her soaring ballad "10,000 Miles" from the movie "Fly Away Home," which may very well take your breath away.

The new songs "Wherever You Are" and "Almost Home" provide evidence that Carpenter's remarkable songwriting prowess has endured. "Party Doll and Other Favorites" is an album that fans can cherish and will provide a fine introduction to the talents of a one-of-a-kind artist.

Given a single disc's limitations, Carpenter has built an ingenious greatest-hits package that simultaneously provides an overview of her decade-long career and a treasure-trove for ardent fans. All four of her #1s are here (including two live versions substituted for studio takes), as well as four of her twelve Top-10s. The rest of this generous 17-song collection includes two new titles, a Mick Jagger cover, the highly sought-after "10,000 Miles" (from the film "Fly Away Home"), and several tracks from non-MCC projects.

Despite the excitement of new material and live tracks, the heart of this collection is Carpenter's determined, empowered anthems. Whether it's the desire of Lucinda Williams' "Passionate Kisses" or the call-to-self-fulfillment of her own "He Thinks He'll Keep Her," Carpenter sings her mind with an empathic clarity and force. Her poetic, autobiographical tale "This Shirt" reveals the extraordinary, interlocking nature of everyone's everyday things.

Given her literate, folky bent, one might be surprised at just how much fun Carpenter can be. She pulls out the stops with Beausoleil for a live take of "Down at the Twist and Shout"; "Shut Up and Kiss Me" and "I Feel Lucky" both exhibit a humorous directness.

Though a full retrospective awaits, this collection serves as a well-crafted map of the journey so far taken.

As I said in the title, I don't like Country music, but I like this album. Why? First of all I've always felt Mary Chapin Carpenter's sound is more of a folky sound than country anyways, it also has more of a New Orleans sound to it than so much of the music you find in the normal country music. Moreover it contains almost none of the corny puns/terrible twangs that so much country music seems to have.

This CD is interesting to in that it is not really a greatest hits collection. Basically MCC went out and tried to find rare versions of songs and accumulated them all here for you in one great CD.

Truly one of the greatest singer-songwriters of this decade, this CD presents some of her best efforts. One of my first exposures to her music was actually the Super Bowl rendition that is on here. I'd heard her music before then but that was the first time I really noticed and decided it would be worth checking out some of here other songs.

There are a lot of great songs on here, "Down at the Twist and Shout" from the Superbowl previously mentioned just has a real New Orleans feel to it. "I Feel Lucky" though bordering on my corny issue that I mentioned above stays clear enough from it to still sound pretty good. "Passionate Kisses" is kind of sappy at times but nonetheless is a very romantic song. "Stones in the Road" is extremely contemplative, and suprisingly thought-provoking for a country song. Finally, "Party Doll" is one of the best renditions of this song since the Mick Jagger original.

Overall I recommend this CD to anyone who likes country music, but I also recommend it to those of you who are interested in hearing what a modern folk artist sounds like.

Mary-Chapin Carpenter, one of the most talented musicians ever, has come up with a greatest hits album with an attitude. Don't expect to hear the old stuff as it has been reworked on some of her favorites. Can't Take Love For Granted, a beautiful ballad on her "Shooting Straight In The Dark", has been rearranged into a more rocking version from which I didn't think would be possible but she did it. New songs like "Almost Home" and "Wherever You Are" are destined to become classic Mary-Chapin. Its really hard to believe that she has written most of the material alone without a cowriter. The gift to write and sing is something that is not found too often but Mary-Chapin has it and it shows on this wonderful album. Go out and get it.

Mary Chapin Carpenter has found the niche in my music listening that few others can fill. This album touches deep in my soul the need for a good story, combined with exceptional vocals and music. MCC is an incredible musician who has experienced much and isn't afraid to share. I love this album and it has become my favorite album ever.

I came to this album as a long-time fan of Chapin. Having listened to her entire back catalogue and loved almost every inch of it, I loaded this CD with baited breath, expecting to be thrilled, as I had been on hearing previous albums. What actually transpired was unexpected. Much of the material on this album is excellent, but Chapin really is at her best in the studio. I found the live tracks - notably, Down at the Twist and Shout - disappointing due to her limited vocal range. One exception to this is the gorgeous acoustic rendition of Quittin' Time.

Unfortunately, however, though beautifully rendered by the artist, even studio tracks such as This Shirt and the absolutely heart-rending versions of Lennon's Grow Old With Me & Jagger's Party Doll have been disgracefully distorted at the mastering stage. This traversty renders the album one for the completist, prepared to tolerate the chaff for the previously unreleased material, however flawed. Anyone wishing for an introduction to this wonderful artist really would be well-advised to begin with Come on Come on or Stones in The Road.

I bought this recording for the track "10,00 miles" but was pleasantly surprised by the rest of the album. Mary Chapin Carpenter is a true artist, with a pure vocal instrument capable of rendering many styles of music. Her voice is as easily at home with rock/pop, blues, folk and country music. She has excellent diction, and NEVER sings out of tune. For those of you not familiar with the "10,000 miles" track, it is a delight. It comes from the movie "Fly Away Home" which is a brilliant family movie starring Anna Paquin and Jeff Daniels. This track was the reason I bought the CD, but other tracks are quickly becoming favorites as well.