Shooting Straight In The Dark

Mary Chapin Carpenter | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 16, 2009)
• Original Release Date: October 9, 1990
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Columbia Nashville
• ASIN: B00000272Q
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #68,673 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Shooting Straight From The Heart, October 4, 2000

By 

dev1 (Baltimore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shooting Straight In The Dark (Audio CD)

As a matter of integrity, Mary-Chapin Carpenter's folkish approach to country music might be a bit tough to swallow. Born and raised in the Ivy League town of Princeton, New Jersey; living among the bureaucrats of Washington D.C., and attending a New England school of liberal studies (Brown University), where does "country" fit in this picture? It doesn't.

Carpenter is not so much a country writer as an "anti-Nashville" artist. Her compositions are feminist, intelligent, introspective and solid. They're strong enough to lend themselves well to a variety of treatments including folk, pop, Cajun and country. The style of each song depends on its musical attributes. With touches of jangling guitar, `Going Out Tonight' becomes a Pop standard in the tradition of the British Invasion. Underlined with Don Dixon's bass, and polishes with Marti Jones' spirited vocal harmonies, `Right Now' is a highly charged country dance number. The mixed feminist message of "Middle Ground' melt nicely with the powerful rhythm and bright guitar work. For quiet introspection, `What You Didn't Say' and `The Moon and St. Christopher' should satisfy the most jaded folkie. Carpenter is at her best on the angry and forceful country-rocker `You Win Again:' Robbie Magruder's pounding drums, John Jennings' thundering bass chords and screaming guitar raise this number to "I Can't Take No More Of Your Garbage" anthem status.

Talented artists surround themselves with gifted and complimentary partners, and the CD booklet reads like the "Who's Who" of adult contemporary music: the majestic voices of Shawn Colvin and Marti Jones with Don Dixon on guitar grace the album. Mary-Chapin Carpenter doesn't portray herself as a "county girl," but like the finest country music, `Shooting Straight In The Dark' shoots straight from the heart - and that's plenty enough for me.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Sound, December 16, 1999

By 

Mark (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shooting Straight In The Dark (Audio CD)

You heard "Going Out Tonight", "Down At The Twist And Shout" and "You Win Again" on the radio but you have to hear the rest of the album to hear some of Mary's finest songs ever. My two favorites are "Can't Take Love For Granted" (my all time favorite MCC song) and "Middle Ground" (my all time second favorite MCC song). The album has a variety of different song styles that blend perfectly. Rockers like "Right Now" and "Twist And Shout" will get you moving on your feet while "Halley Came To Jackson" sounds like a lulliby for adults as well as children. You won't go wrong with this album. I think it is her finest work to date and is even better than "Stones In The Road", another 5 star album by this very talented singer-songwriter. Buy it now!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Splendid Early Album From Mary Chapin Carpenter, January 29, 2007

By 

John Kwok (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shooting Straight In The Dark (Audio CD)

Fellow Brunonian Mary Chapin Carpenter is often seen as a country musician, even if many of her songs don't easily fit the stereotypical view of a Nashville music scene dominated by the legacy of Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, and Johnny Cash, to name but a few. Instead, she might more accurately be described as an urban folk musician, whose musical influences range from rock to folk, bluegrass and country. If you regard Mary Chapin Carpenter mainly from this perspective, then you should truly appreciate listening to this early album of hers, which is replete with folkish tunes to hard rocking country/folk ballads that are played on both contemporary pop and country stations. The most popular song from this album, "Down At The Twist and Shout" is a vibrant, zydeco-influenced country rock song which was among her first major hits. However, another, lesser hit, "Can't Take Love For Granted", more accurately encapsulates her introspective, feminist-oriented urban folk tradition which has made her music quite distinctive, but underappreciated, by more traditional country/folk music fans and critics.