Shooting Straight in the Dark

Mary Chapin Carpenter

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 24, 1990)
• Original Release Date: October 9, 1990
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00000272Q
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #45,756 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Mary Chapin Carpenter's third album perfected her mix of singer-songwriter introspection, storytelling, and the occasional up-tempo mood changer. It spawned a huge country radio hit in the surprisingly durable zydeco romp "Down at the Twist and Shout," but the most memorable track is "Going Out Tonight," a gutsy, folk-rocking statement of purpose from a brokenhearted woman who's gonna start living again even if it kills her. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 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

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.

7 of 8 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

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!

3 of 3 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 (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.