Customer Reviews

Story of My Life

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

 

 

Let me begin this review by saying I have been a Deana Carter fan for about six years now. I fell in love with her the very first time I heard her music when I was about 11 years old, and have been hooked ever since. I find "the story of her life" a very sad one, because, as an artist, she has had a less than desirable career. Her first album, the multiplatinum "Did I Shave My Legs For This?" became one of the biggest country albums of all time and spawned such super hits as "Strawberry Wine" and "We Danced Anyway," as well as the title track. However, Deana's subsequent album sales have dropped consistently with the last two albums she has released, "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" and "I'm Just A Girl." This was an extreme injustice in my opinion, because these albums were extremely well crafted and genuine showcases of Deana's rare talent. In fact, I believe "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" and "I'm Just A Girl" were much better albums than "Did I Shave," but were not as popular because the record labels she was on at the time, Capitol and Arista, did not support them in the manner they could have. Throughout the nine years Deana has been in the mainstream Nashville scene, her music and aristry have only continued to prosper. Deana reminds me very much of the "Wildflower" she sang about on her third album, because she is always blooming and becoming better than she was before. Now this rare flower is back and better than ever with a brand new album, "The Story Of My Life" on the label Vanguard Records. This album finds Deana at the creative highpoint in her career- she was completely in charge of this album, from the writing and producing to the instrumentation. In fact, Vanguard record executives did not hear a note of this album until Deana was finished with it, right at the end of her first pregnancy. It is extremely, extremely rare for a record company to give an arist that much freedom on an album, especially when the artist's last two albums were mainstream flops. Well, I'm thrilled Vanguard did this, because the result was the best album of Deana's career, not to mention one of the best albums ever released in any genre of music, in my opinion. This album is a creative masterpiece; with introspective and creative lyrics, catchy and beautiful melodies and Deana's unique and amazing voice at its finest. Deana wrote every song on this album, 6 by herself and 5 with co-writers. Deana also played various instruments on the album, including electric and acoustic guitars, piano and strings. This alone makes the album Deana's most artistic album to date, even though she tried and failed commerically with this approach on her second and third albums. No longer is there pressure for Deana to conform to the mold of what a female singer in Nashville should be, she has abandoned all restrictions and set herself free. The result is truly phemomenal. The album's song selection is consistently strong, but a few stick out, such as the catchy and sensual album opener, "The Girl You Left Me For" and the current single "One Day At A Time." These are both some of the best songs Deana has ever recorded. As the album continues, Deana delites with the introspective "Ordinary" and the regretful tear jerker, "In A Heartbeat." "Katie" is a fun, breezy tune about a girl who, despite her eccentricities, is beautiful and a perfect vision of love. Hmm, sounds a lot like Deana to me. "Atlanta and Birmingham" is a fantastic song that is somewhat like older country songs in the day when her father, Fred Carter Jr. played. "She's Good For You," written with another fantastic country artist, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, is one of my personal favorites and pushes the creative envelope with the bridge (listen and you'll know what I mean). "Not Another Love Song" and "Sunny Day" are a bit darker and perhaps more reflective of some of the hard times Deana have gone through, but the album wouldn't be the same without them. "Getting Over You" is a midtempo song about getting over a past love, and its catchy tune will stick in your head much like "The Girl You Left Me For." The last track, the title song from the album, is another reflective and introspective look by Deana at her life. It is truly enjoyable and a perfect closing to the album. "The Story Of My Life" is the perfect name for this album, because this is the story of Deana's life, and while it may have its highs and lows, it is beautiful, and is being told by a truly beautiful soul. I met Deana back on the "I'm Just A Girl" tour and she was a truly beautiful person. Her kind soul exuded throughout the time I was with her and I could just tell she truly loved doing what she did. I believe the proof is in the pudding on that subject, as she has stuck it out on her roller-coaster of a career when many others may have called it quits. I am so glad Deana has returned, and I believe this album will indeed catapult her back to the top of the country charts. If it doesn't, it should have. To use a quote from Deana's new album booklet from Ralph Waldo Emerson, "What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." This is so true. Deana's past couple albums may not have done so well commerically, and this one may not either, but it would my dismay and surprise. However, this will not diminish the fact that Deana Carter is one of the finest artists in any genre. She is a talented singer-songwriter who can blend catchy tunes with deep lyrics everyone can relate to. And isn't that what country music is all about? Her voice and unique music have touched my life forever. I don't think I will ever hear "Strawberry Wine" and not be taken back to a nostalgic period of time in my life. But "Strawberry Wine" was just the beginning of Deana's long road, and even with this new album, I believe the road is far from over. All I can say is I am so glad I have been along for the ride. Thank you Deana for all your wonderful albums, especially this one. I hope it takes you to the top again, but if it doesn't, you'll always be number one in my book.

If you were to ask me several years ago that Kurt Cobain would be referenced in a country music song I would probably say you were crazy. But after listening to Deana Carter's new single, One Day At A Time, the indication was only fitting in its allusion to childhood memories.

In many ways it seems that Deana Carter has already driven past several country music limits and is now on a lengthy road to find her own artistic independence with her music. During the past several years now, Carter has pretty much left behind the Music Row system that not only fostered the breakout success of her 1996 smash, Strawberry Wine, but also fled to Los Angeles where she signed with a somewhat independent label, Vanguard Records in hopes to take full control over her musical direction.

With her new release, The Story Of My Life, already gaining a lot of recognition from her peers. This might just be her most personal album to date. It is an artistic statement that will most likely stand out as one of the greatest country albums of the year.

The album is a pretty private escape then the monster production that can usually plague an album from survival. The simple folk songs and quiet harmonies that this record gives out will only lead you to a gentle truth that resounds in all our lives.

These songs are heartfelt and sincerely autobiographical. The title of this record pretty much says it all. This album is Deana Carter's life put into the rhythms of her own music. From her hippie upbringing to her fellowships with childhood friends, Carter is ingenious at how well she illustrates her musical paintings and captures her own truth about growing up.

She distributes her sorrows and despair with her bellyache opening track, The Girl You Left Me For. It continues to flow from track to track. Her still water folk styling is sampled on the luscious track, Katie. A genuine little story about a liberated girl who enters the world of self-expression. The most noteworthy track on this album in my opinion is, Sunny Day. Its autobiographical references only helps me better understand the importance of being true to yourself.

Deana Carter's unapologetic approach towards this record blows my mind away every time I listen to this album. The Story Of My Life, is an album that seems to capture the beauty of love, grace, compassion, regret, hope and desire. It's something that not to many other albums will attempt to explore. She might had just made the record of her career with this one. This album's splendor will definitely shine on for many years to come.

This may be one of the best albums to come out this year...sadly, many people will probably not get a chance to hear it. I heard a preview of the song "Atlanta and Birmingham", and I was hooked, and hoped that the rest of the record would be as indearing. It is. I does have its slower sections, but even its downsides are better than a lot of what is deemed for as "good" music, country or other wise. Standout songs: "The Girl You Left Me For", "One Day at A Time", "In a Heartbeat", "Atlanta and Birmingham", "Not Another Love Song". The rest are good too...these are just the cream of the crop

Deana Carter has released a beautiful heart-wrenching record that reflects here struggles and growth over the past couple of years. Now that she is a mommy, I hope she doesn't mellow so much that she loses her edge. This is truly her best work to date. If you like Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, Lee Ann Womack, Loretta Lynn, Sheryl Crow, Dolly Parton or any other honest strong opinionated southern female artist then you should LOVE this record. This is not your typical Nashville country music album, infact it was recorded in a home in Los Angeles. Although she has traveled many a mile since the start of her career, when you play this album you can almost feel the warmth of the North Louisiana cotton fields of her youth. It is heartbreaking and refreshing at the same time. Honest, sometimes to a fault. BUY THIS RECORD!!!!!

First of all, let me say that this is my first Deana Carter CD. I hadn't heard of her until I read a glowing review of this CD in a magazine. A few weeks later, I was at my local library and saw the CD on display, and remembering that review, I checked it out. I listened to it, and I liked what heard so much that I had to play it again after I had listened to the whole CD for the first time. You see, I don't usually do that, especially with a country CD. Then, I didn't like country all that much, like I do now. I loved it so much, I ended up buying it!

So now that I have told you how I discovered this CD, let's move on to the review. This is a CD that you can listen to all the way through, and you can tell from the title that she put her heart and soul into each song. She wrote or co-wrote each song, and the album was recorded while she was pregnant. So, for Deana, this album was a labor of love, in more ways than one. It will grab you from the first song, "The Girl You Left Me For" which sounds like a lost track from an Avril Lavigne CD (and you'll have to check the cover to make sure it's Deana). There are several songs about relationships, including "Not Another Love Song", and songs about extraordinary women, like "Katie". As soon as the last song, the autobiographical "The Story of My Life", ends, you'll probably be like me the first time I heard this, and want to listen to the whole CD over again!

By: Michael Coyle

If Deana Carter's fourth studio CD, The Story of My Life, is truly an autobiographical depiction of her life, then Ms. Carter can be identified as a heartbroken optimist whose life as an independent woman has come full circle. Since her 4x platinum smash Did I Shave My Legs for This?, she has seen a slew of personal and professional downslides including increasingly slower sales of each new CD (despite critical acclaims), a DUI conviction, a divorce from her husband, and a split from her former record label. Independent now - in life, in her new record label, and with her new baby - Carter comes back with a "nothing to lose" artistic expression of herself.

Led in by the Avril Lavigne-esque track "The Girl You Left Me For" and her current single "One Day at a Time," she proves more than able to belt out lyrics like the 70's rocker she still seems to be influenced by. Although she roars in like a lion, Carter continues most of the CD gently as a lamb on such heartbreakers as "In a Heartbeat" and "Not Another Love Song" - two songs that may seem like cookie-cutter balladry, but Carter manages to make them original for herself and her perspective. After co-writing all of the tracks on this 11-song set, she seems to be at her best somewhere in between the lion and the lamb, on the cozy number "Getting Over You" and the spunky "She's Good for You."

Although independence does have its artistic privileges, some songs suffer from under production and a bit of pointless banter in the likes of "Katie" and "Sunnyday," both of which seem like trial songwriting sessions of a meager budget.

Still, those few tracks aside, The Story of My Life is a gem of artistic revelation for this ACM and CMA award winner. The CD may have few - if any - radio hits, but it is packed with heartfelt songs of creative integrity. Carter's coarsely sweet southern drawl manages to tell quite a tale, and on this CD, after all her downfalls, she sure does have quite a story to tell.

http://www.CountryInterviewsOnline.net

I've been a big fan for years and am so glad to see Deana Carter back on the charts with new material! There's something so unique about her voice that just locks you in. On this, her fourth studio album (her old label, Universal, released a GH cd after she left to capitalize on her past success; this was totally their call unlike what another reviewer alluded to)she is able to convey to the listener a wide array of emotions from the upbeat, playful "The Girl You Left Me For" to the slow, haunting "Atlanta to Birmingham"!

This is her comeback! It will happen, "One Day At a Time"! ;)

Deana Carter's "The Story of My Life" is an excellent disc, her stylistic breakthrough. The most accessible track is the opener "The Girl You Left Me For" with Jeff Carter's stunning lead guitar energizing this pop rocker, a driving breakup song. "One Day at a Time" is a good pop track with its Thelma & Louise chorus, "Like John Lennon & Kennedy I'm with them, yeah, 'cause I believe you gotta make history one day a time." Carter's effort and attention to detail is reflected on the full arrangement for "Ordinary" with Kyle Wooding's bold drumbeats and Carter's wild guitar on a song essentially about leadership, "I had a long talk with the angels today & they say, 'Listen to me...you gotta be a shepherd, don't be a sheep.'" Another excellent breakup song is "She's Good for You" with James Michael's piano & the twist in the lyric, "You say she's good for you...that makes her very bad for me." "Not Another Love Song" is a quieter song with a lovely melody as Deana sings about romance in trouble. On "Sunny Day" we hear a bit about struggles for artistic control in the music business, "Some music man doesn't give a da*n what I have to say, but he's stealing tears & playing games that I don't play, I'm not going to let that son-of-a-*itch take my love away." "The Story of My Life" is a very strong set with no weak spots. The arrangements, songwriting and performance are all excellent. This is a shining moment for Deana. Bravo!

Carter's always seemed like an unlikely maverick, but despite a career that's been heavily buffeted by the expectations of two major labels, she's emerged with her own musical vision intact. Her multi-platinum 1996 debut CD ("Did I Shave My Legs For This?") and it's dominating trio of #1 hits marked a level of commercial success that she has neither matched, nor seemed to have sought. Her 1998 sophomore release for Capitol ("Everything's Gonna Be Alright") indulged her love of '70s pop and rock and only managed to launch a couple of tepid top-40 singles. A switch to Arista Nashville four years later found her co-producing polished adult pop with Dan Huff. The results were fetching, but again had only middling success on the charts.

Fast forward another three years. Carter's relocated to Los Angeles from Nashville (the latter, unusually for a country singer, her birthplace), she's divorced from the husband who inspired much of her debut CD's ebullience, and amidst a new relationship, and just before entering the studio she finds out that she's pregnant. That's a lot of life material from which to draw, and recording for Vanguard - known more for its classic folk releases of the '60s than its occasional country releases - she's given the freedom to write and produce the album of her dreams. Perhaps it shouldn't be surprising, but the result integrates elements of all her previous releases, suggesting that while she didn't have complete control in earlier sessions, she certainly had her say. She essays her artistic fortitude in the song "Sunny Day."

Though recorded on the West Coast, Carter has clearly brought her roots with her. This sounds at least as earthy as the works she recorded in Nashville, and though she may have felt suffocated by Music City's "way of doing things," she clearly isn't in California to repudiate her country heritage. Many of these tracks would fit easily into what currently compromises country radio, but there's no crying steel or fiddle here - this is contemporary adult music, but without the glossy pop highlights of her previous outings.

Her arrangements follow the material, often starting slow and building drama with a kick of electric guitars, but the production never overshadows her words. The catchy "yeah yeah yeah" backing vocal of the album's opener is a neat hook upon which Carter hangs her distraught plea for a lost lover. Even better, the broken-hearted roadtrip ballad "Atlanta & Birmingham" opens with acoustic guitar and piano that reflect the inner-voice of the lyric's letter-to-a-lost lover. The middle part picks up as the writer herself picks up the pieces and prepares to move on, and the end settles back down as the singer gains an outside perspective.

Carter's early association with Matraca Berg (whose autobiographical "Strawberry Wine" became Carter's most recognizable hit) seems to have made an impression. Carter's songs don't have the literary edge of Berg's, but they have the same sort of keen phrases that nail a character in only a few words, and her melodies are memorably fleshed out by her own inventive production touches. Carter was clearly letting go of a relationship during the writing of this album, but her tone is more wistful than bitter, and the music follows suit.

Each of Carter's albums has its charms, but this one feels closer to the artist than any that came before. Vanguard hasn't exactly burned up the contemporary pop charts with their marketing prowess, so it's anyone's guess if they can launch this album in the contemporary pop market. Carter's touching and mature music fits nicely onto a label roster that includes Joan Osborne and Edward McCain, so perhaps the critical mass will help define her outside of Nashville circles. 4-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2007 hyperbolium dot com]

I've been a fan of Deana Carter since her debut in 1996. With every album she's released since that one, I think as listeners we get a glipse more and more of the kind of artist she is. Her second album in 1998 was much more acoustic and less radio friendly, but still a marvelous album. Her third album in 2003 was a nice country album but didn't do too well either. On this new album she's embraced a more alt-country sound, which I like, but it doesn't all click for me. There's some decent songs, others don't work for me based on the lyrical structure. Still it's a decent album, more for her fans, I don't think it will broaden her fanbase much but at least she's doing what she wants to.