Customer Reviews

State Of The Heart

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

While some of MCC's work fails to hit the target with me, her muse apparently was sparking on all cylinders on this fine CD.

Mary is a good writer, but on other CDs, particularly "Stones in the Road," I have occasionally found her ballads tedious with little of musical interest to recommend them. She suffers no such missteps on "State of the Heart." The CD's great opener, "How Do," perks right along, then she changes pace with the poignant "Something of a Dreamer." That variety offers the key to the album's success. There isn't a dull moment or a poorly conceived tune.

If you want hooks, try "Quittin' Time" or "Never Had It So Good." "This Shirt" and "Mary's Land" are fine singer/songwriter vehicles. Throughout, the thoughtful lyrics are aided by tight arrangements.

This is an intelligent CD for folks who like to actually listen to the music they buy, not use it for background sound. I'm not a big country fan, but it's impossible not to appreciate the effort here.

"State of the Heart" has to be my other all time favorite album of Mary's, next to "Stones in the Road". I can literally hear the heartache come through on "Never Had It So Good" and "Goodbye Again". The beauty of Mary Chapin Carpenter's music is that it is honest and often heartbreaking. Plus there is none of that annoying twanginess you normally hear in most country music. "Slow Country Dance" is a charming ballad that almost makes me want to dance with someone to this song. I have been a longtime ardent fan of Mary's music for a long time and I continue to do so for as long as she puts out music.

State of the Heart is one of the few albums I kept from my brief high school country music craze. It was one of my favorites at the time and I played it over and over while laying in the hot summer sun trying to get a tan to impress someone (who, I did not know). In fact, a lot of this record is about women watching as time wastes away while they're hopelessly waiting for something or, more specifically, somebody. One of Carpenter's subjects is waiting for a love that will never be ("Something of a Dreamer") or, worse, coming apart at the seams when the married man with whom an aging woman is infatuated never leaves his family for her ("Goodbye Again"). She sings of a woman who loses her boyfriend to his ex ("Never Had It So Good") or of women who try too hard to attract men at a bar that they become the objects of ridicule ("Slow Country Dance"). But there are songs where the woman takes charge "How Do," "Read My Lips," "It Don't Bring You." And there is some happiness on this album "down in Mary's land": "When you don't need nothing but some beer and a bushel."

Muscially, besides the ordinary honky tonk tracks "How Do," and "Read My Lips," State of the Heart is a very enjoyable and interesting album. "Never Had it So Good" and "Quittin' Time" (which I believe were two singles off this disc) are incredibly catchy. "Something of a Dreamer" is charming and "Down in Mary's Land" is fun yet restrained. "Goodbye Again" actually has a spookiness about it, as if she were singing of an old spinster woman long ago: "She keeps his picture tucked away. She thinks she'll have it framed one day. And maybe he'll come see it there. Hanging by her rocking chair." In "This Shirt," I think Carpenter tries too hard to write a stellar metaphorical song. Here, a shirt symbolizes a woman's life and love. She slept on it, made whoopie on it, kittens were born on it...Would anyone really keep wearing this shirt?? Also, the stanza I never could understand is when she lent it to her boyfriend. Did he want to wear it? Is this a unisex shirt? Anyway, the song seems to try to force sentiment. The track I think works better is the last one, "It Don't Bring You." Here, Carpenter's subject takes control of a bad relationship. She realizes it will never work, but instead of wasting away like some of the other subjects on this album, she lets her man go but will not accept all the blame: "I can't bring you kindness if you ain't kind." It is not a happy ending in the traditional sense, but it does hint that things will get better for this character. It is also a beautiful song.

I love "mwreview's" Spotlight Review of this album and don't think there's much I can say to improve upon it. I laughed out loud at the "Would anyone keep wearing this shirt?" line. Except that, actually, MW, there are some weirdos out there who probably would wear a shirt that their cat had given birth on if that was their all-time favorite shirt and they had washed it in Lysol.

But I do understand those critics of Carpenter who find her a little too given to "writerly" lyrics. This album has "This Shirt" and a few other moments; and of course, there's "I Am A Town" (not from this release). But unlike some of those critics, I don't call these songs "Creative Writing 101" exercises at all. The songs may be a little transparent in their conceits, but compared to most tunes out there, they're good enough to be at least grad student level.

I've only recently started seriously listening to Mary Chapin Carpenter, which is odd in a way, since I've known about her for years. I remember seeing her on Public Television and other broadcasts and being duly impressed--but somehow not really following up on her music to the extent of actually purchasing any. But I do recall, after catching her on Austin City Limits or a similar program, thinking that this was a "solid" performer. "Solid" became my buzzword re: Mary Chapin Carpenter, and so far everything I've heard seems to bear out this initial perception. The singing, the songwriting, the level of musicianship--it's all there.

To say that there is not a bad track on STATE OF THE HEART scarcely suffices. All the tracks are darn good. If I could be allowed another buzzword, I'd have to opt for "confidence." She seems completely at home with this material--a nice balance between the wry upbeat country and sensitive ballads. From the sly delivery of the opener "How Do?" to the powerfully emotive closer "It Won't Bring You," she doesn't miss a beat, literally or figuratively. She is just, well, "solid" throughout. And "confident."

I tend to prefer lyrical and impressionistic songwriters to storytellers--more Laura Nyro than Joni Mitchell. Mary Chapin Carpenter, however, is a lyrical storyteller (like Joni at her very best, actually). A song like "Goodbye Again" is thematically similar to a Nyro classic like "Lonely Women," but stylistically, it's of a different order. Not better or worse, just different. There's more than one way to tell a story of heartbreak. Mary Chapin Carpenter opts for a more narrative approach than, say, Nyro would--and in her case it works beautifully. She knows how to construct a three minute short story. That's a rare talent. And, you know, it's OK to be a little "writerly" when you know how to write.

Mary Chapin Carpenter is one of those uniquely wonderful singer-songwriters who reminds us that the key to emotionally evocative songwriting is not neccesarily found in poetic density. And like all great folk and country performers, Mary knows how to tell one hell of a story, aided by the warmth and distinctiveness of her vocals.

On "State of the Heart," Mary skillfully balances both her country and folk leanings. The album is fun, moving, cohesive and the perfect length. My personal favorite track is "This Shirt," in which Mary skillfully uses an article of clothing as a vehicle to explore not only several formative years of her life, but also the relationship which defined them.

Most definately priced to buy (I bought it off a sale rack for 9 bucks), there is little excuse for not owning this album.

This is the MCC CD I first heard, and it for many years was the soundtrack of my life. This was the CD in my portable CD player when I took the bus to move from Muskegon, Michigan to Denver, Colorado in 1994. How Do, I never have really taken to. I always felt she wrote it at the request of her record label to make it more country radio friendly. I just never felt her heart was in it. Then there was Something of a Dreamer. Has Chapin met me? Does she know me. This IS me! This song describes me so well, I am an extremely romantic man, who knows that now at 45, I will never have a partner in my life, but I will always dream of it. Never Had it So Good is the song I would like to tell the very few lovers in my life so they would understand. It reminds me of a line from the movie The Way We Were, When Katie tells Hubble (I'm paraphrasing here) That he will never find anyone who will love him as much and be as good for him.

I read a couple of reviews that kind of say that This Shirt is more a writerly type song than a true performance. I would disagree. I think many of us look at life by possessions that we keep over the years. We open a drawer, there is that article, and it makes us realize how our lives have turned out and make us wonder about the things that might have been. Quittin' Time continues the mood in a different tempo (The slow version on the CD Party Doll and Other Favorites actually makes me cringe) that makes me understand my own failures in relationships.

The next two songs bring out different moods. Down in Mary's Land to me is just a great summer time song, cruising down to the shore. It reminds me of my years living on the Lake Michigan shore, which actually has sandy beaches very similar to ocean beaches. "Goodbye Again" is my life-that's it in a nutshell. I read another review where someone said that it reminded them of an old spinster. Well, if I was a woman, it would be me. It has been my life for 20 years. Except there is no one that calls.

I reread this review and it sounds like I am full of self pity. Nothing could be futher from the truth. I am just saying that Chapin writes universal feelings, and you do not have to be a woman to understand them. An outstanding album, and my pick for the best CD of any genre the year it was released.

This album includes some very touching numbers:
"Something of a Dreamer" is sweet, sad, yet catchy
"This Shirt" is poignant and sentimental
"Mary's Land" is rhythmic, upbeat, and fun
"It won't bring" is sad but wise
The songs mostly describe a woman in differing situations regarding love relationships--not very unusual for popular music, let alone country music. It has a number of quite good songs but no real breakout number like "Passionate Kisses" etc. on her "Come On Come On" album. Still, it's a nice album and tends to capture emotions.

I consider myself one of the greatest fans of Mary Chapin Carpenter. Her music has touched me in ways that no other artist has. The songs on this album are some of the best songs I have ever heard - not just by her, but in general! If you are like me and love her music, buy this record - it is bound to be her best record. It is packed with all of her "classics" as they are called - "Something of a Dreamer," "You've Never Had it so Good", and more! Buy it!

This album, the second in MCC's body of work, demonstrates that the lady is here to stay. From the honky-tonk strains of How Do("Where'd you get that accent, son/It matches your cowboy boots"), through the evocative This Shirt, which brings me close to tears everytime I really pay attention to the lyrics, to the haunting It Don't Bring You("Of all the things that finally desert us/Pride is always the last thing to go"). I have all her records, love all of them and get something from each one. While not as polished as later works, this record is worth the time.

This CD is one of Mary Chapin Carpenter's best. If you aren't familiar with her music, this is a good place to start. Her rich alto voice brims with emotion without the histrionics so common among today's pop and country performers. Standout tracks are "This Shirt," "Goodbye Again," and "Never Had it So Good." Even after 10 years, this CD gets better with age.