Customer Reviews

She Ain't Me

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In her second solo album Carrie Rodriguez leaves her fruitful partnership with songwriter Chip Taylor further behind. Most of the songs are at least partly hers: she collaborates with a group of talented co-writers and is backed up by a really great band, led by guitarist Hans Holzen, that forms a perfect foil for her distinctively smoky voice. The total sound, overseen by veteran producer Malcolm Burn, covers both pop and country territory but is all of a piece, avoiding the slightly overproduced feel of her first solo outing, "Seven Angels on a Bicycle."

Whether laying down the political gauntlet in "Infinite Night" and "Mask of Moses," or mulling over love's sorrows in "Rag Doll" and "Can't Cry Enough," or getting down with some gritty fiddle playing in "Absence" (too bad there isn't more on this album) Rodriguez delivers unforced, sincere emotion, even when her different vocal registers aren't perfectly in sync (high notes tend to be little more than whispers). The title track is a knowing, sassy take on the old "cheating song" theme that could well be delivered by the likes of Dolly Parton. It has an agreeable way of getting stuck in one's head that suggests it could get lots of airplay. I've listened to all of this artist's albums from the beginning and eagerly look forward to more.

In fairness I've only listened through a couple of times but I'm sorely disappointed in the effort. Carrie Rodriguez is a remarkable talent who has thrived in her partnership with Chip Taylor. What worked so well for and between them was at least in part his ear for a good tune and his world-weariness that cast the perfect backdrop for her to shine. She was always able to present herself as a quite plausible peer among an ever-so-slightly rough crowd of seasoned rowdies. The feeling that everything was sort of thrown together on the spot out of pure raw talent and experience worked well to showcase her multiple talents.

This album, on the other hand, is pure marketing. From the dolled-up photos to the way-overproduced feel, this is all wrong. (Interestingly, Gracenote has it classified as "Pop.") It really sounds to me like some kind of mutant packaging project where the idea was to try to force her into clones of songs by one each of a dozen recognizable and highly marketable girl singers. It doesn't work.

I don't mean to say she is nothing without Chip Taylor. Far from it. She is exceptionally talented. But I do mean that Chip Taylor has clearly played a crucial role in clearing the space to let her work shine. If she's going to flourish without him she's going to have to find enough spine to follow her art and ditch the marketing team that is serving her so poorly. Unless, of course, I've got it wrong and the gig with Chip Taylor was just to pay the bills and she was merely the best actress ever pretending to be into all that while she waited for her big chance to step out and make some pap under her own name.

Look, she's a terrific musician who can also turn a phrase with that delicious twang of hers. Casting her as the girl singer on a pop record is a tremendous waste. If you want to see what makes Carrie Rodriguez special look up the YouTube video of her playing off Chip Taylor on a live rendition of Wild Thing. She turns just the right phrase with just the right inflection and then she tears into that fiddle. Please, spare me the airbrush.

Heard/saw this fine singer for the first time last night on Austin City Limits - I stopped watching The World Series game three to experience her!! Now I can't get enough of her!!!
Bought tickets to see her at the Arden, Delaware Gild Hall on Dec. 6 (2008). I can't believe the tickets were only $19.00 each!!
I haven't been this excited about an artist since Alison Krauss - and Carrie writes much of her material, too. This album showcases both her writing and vocal talents! I highly recommend it!

This album is fresh, inventive and well crafted. Stylistically it ranges from folk to rock to infectious bluegrass but maintains continuity. The lyrics are unusual, often catchy, and they resonate. There is some nice fiddle on several of the tracks. Absence is one of the best, reminiscent of Alison Krauss and Union Station. Other songs like Grace and Infinite Night remind me of Jonatha Brooke. However, Carrie Rodriguez really has her own sound that is indefinable and very appealing.

This is competent pop music, but it lacks the fire and musicianship of "Seven Angels on a Bicycle" and her duets with Chip Taylor. She can really bring it on the fiddle, but you'd hardly know it from this album. It sounds more L.A. than Austin. One of alt-country's most talented singer/fiddler/stompers has suddenly turned bland on us.

Worth getting for Infinite Night and Rag Doll alone. Great songs. NashVegas can keept their belly-baring supermodel 'singers' to themselves. Give me Carrie R., Allison Krauss, and other acts like Son Volt and especially the DBTs -- real music for real people.

I first heard and saw Ms. Rodriguez on a video with Chip Taylor. The sense of site first caught my attention. She is truly a beautiful person in her appearance, but then I heard her voice. I was drawn closer to her. Then she played her fiddle! I was done for. It was as if I was a sailor on a greek ship being drawn into the rocks by the Sirens. But in a good way!

The next time I saw her was with her band at The Luckenbach Dance Hall. It was right after the release of her 1st solo album "Seven Angels on a Bicycle". The song 'Never Gonna Be Your Bride' blew me away! I then realized this performer had her own legs to stand on. She still, I believe, collaborates with Chip Taylor from time to time but is more than capable on her own.

I love "She Ain't Me". Her first album is good but her new venture is far superior. As it says in her bio from her website[...], "She Ain't Me", Rodriguez's second solo outing for Manhattan/Back Porch, "It comes from having to really look within yourself when you're forced to be alone, and to not be afraid of that process," Rodriguez says. "Taking some time off from the road this year to write allowed me to do some growing and reflecting that I often put aside when I'm touring all the time."

And it shows! Ms. Rodriguez is a classically trained violinist from Austin, Texas. She is the off spring of a Mother who was a huge fan of the opera and Dad who was a folksinger. You can sort of her that influence in her songs. They all have a folksy yet classical edge to them.

In the song 'Mask of Moses', it seems you have just about all genres at once, with her own 29 year old version of how it all should sound. We're led in by by the gentle picking of a mandolin, then Ms. Rodriguez's smooth voice singing, "Don't read the news it's sad today/as long as you don't forget to pray/believe in him more than a life/because you turned away". The chorus then chimes in with her urging us to 'come on take off your mask of Moses/ and show us your face". It's a very eerie song and her fiddle playing in the background adds to the eerie feel as well as giving the tune a bluesy touch.

With the track, 'Let Me In', we are lured in by a gentle bass accompanied by equally gentle strumming of the guitar. Then in a very soft, almost whispery fashion, Ms. Rodriguez uses very seductive lyrics. ""Tell me what gets you off/I don't mind if it's hard or soft." It appeared to me she's been taking lessons from her touring buddy Lucinda Williams on the use of her sometimes sultry lyrics. The song eventually introduces us, in between verses, to distorted and reverberated guitar chords that equally match the seductiveness of the lyrics.

'She Ain't Me' was released in the U.S. and Canada by Manhattan/Back Porch (EMI) and was produced by Malcolm Burn (Emmylou Harris, Kaki King, etc.).

I loved this record and look forward to hearing more from this young, classically trained artist in the future.

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Contact 'Rebel' Rod - [...]

New to Carrie's music, but this is an awesome disc. I'm having trouble removing it from my CD player! Love the vocals and fiddle playing!

I love this cd. This is the first of hers that I have bought and I am totally in love. I can't wait to see her live.

Carrie Rodriguez has to be one of the best young artists out there today. She shows she can play many styles with tremendous ability. This CD just makes you want to hear more.