Dark, driving and evocative, Carson McHone’s new album Carousel captures
a period of remarkable growth for the young singer and songwriter. The album,
out October 26th (Nine Mile Records), shines a light not only on McHone's
honky-tonk roots, but also on her development as a modern, alt-country
storyteller. It features newly written songs and updated versions
of tracks that first appeared on her 2015 album Goodluck Man, pushing
traditional sounds and themes into a modern context.
CAROUSEL is a
latter-day record unconcerned with flying the flag of old-school
country, inspired by diverse sources like Dylan, the Velvet Underground,
and American novelist Thomas Wolfe. It wears its eclecticism proudly, with
McHone singing each song in a voice that is worldly-wise and woozily gorgeous.
US Release
Date: October 26, 2018 US iTunes | Artist
Website
Label: Nine Mile Records
UK Release Date: 25 Jan. 2019
Label: LOOSE (Available on CD
via Proper Music)
Copyright: Carson McHone Music
Total Length: 43:00
Genres: Country / Alt-Country
& Americana / Folk
Carousel kicks off with "Sad,"
a song about the fraught relationship one develops with darkness, but it’s a
fast-moving, high-energy song driven forward by fiddle, electric guitar, and pedal
steel. This track sets the stage for an album that tackles edgy subjects
without losing its bright melodies.
McHone creates her own rule book, switching between tempos on "Lucky", offsetting the acoustic guitar of "Spider Song" with the medieval swell of a harmonium, and fills the piano ballad, "How 'Bout It," with a mix of torch-song twang and late-night, jazz-club melancholia. Originally recorded back in 2015 as a deep-cutting, slow-moving waltz, “Gentle” reappears on Carousel as an anthemic tribute to a love gone cold, with McHone exploring the tension between what we know and what we feel, then honoring a relationship’s fleeting existence rather than despairing it’s demise.
The lyrics are confessional
and intensely autobiographical. On “Dram Shop Gal” - one of several
Goodluck Man tracks to receive a modern makeover – McHone takes a hard look at
the ways in which her worldview has been shaped (for better and for worse) by
her many hours in a barroom.
"Life is a battlefield of emotions for even
the most Stoic and well-adjusted among us....It’s not just the words, but the
music of Carson McHone’s Carousel that help create an audio illustration of this emotional
battlefield that it’s haunting at times in how well it mirrors our own
experiences." Trigger (Review 1
3/4 Guns Up (7.5/10) Saving Country Music
"McHone's
unflinching observations are on brilliant display on her new album” -
Bobbie Jean Sawyer Wide Open Country
Which makes “Spider Song” with its droning harmonium probably my favorite cut on this album, followed closely by “Dram Shop Girl” which comes off tender, but with a touch of darkness reminiscent of Townes Van Zandt. Both of these tunes have an innocence to them rather than naïveté that makes them work, as well as being forward thinking in their arrangements. “Drugs” with its plaintive repeating chorus: “Drugs, I need drugs, I need drugs,” is catchy and strong, and I find myself coming back to listen to it again and again, and “Gentle” is whispery and resolute in its emotional impact. These songs definitely are worth listening to over and over, as Carousel definitely gets better with each spin. –
Review by Roy Peak Rocking Magpie
There is a level of progress
in Carson McHone’s work evident on the album, but she hasn’t moved as far away
from tradition as the self-declarations that come along with this album would
suggest. In time, perhaps more challenging material will grace our decks, but
in the meantime, this is one – a good one – for those that like their
alt-country a little lighter on the alt- side. – Phil Grant (7/10 Review) Americana-uk.com
“Got real talent” – Marie Crichton BBC Radio Shropshire BBC Playlist
“There was a time when I wanted to champion traditional country,” says McHone, “mostly because I wasn’t hearing it in what was being called ‘country’. I think a lot of roots influenced artists feel the need to defend tradition in this way. Today though, I want to do more with the form, push myself past where I understand it to be.”
Playing an instrumental role
in the process was Mike McCarthy, the now Nashville based, award-winning
producer behind albums for Spoon, Patty Griffin, and Heartless Bastards.
McCarthy is well versed in country music but his work is definitely not defined
by the genre, which made him the perfect candidate for McHone’s new
record.
Years before Rolling
Stone was praising Carson McHone's rule-breaking roots music, naming
her a “New Country Artist You Need To Know” last summer, the Austin, Texas
native played weeknights in local bars like The White Horse, keeping dancers
dancing and drinkers drinking. With her 21st birthday still in the distance
(she got her first residency at 16), McHone entertained late-night crowds
bearing witness to the good times and bad decisions that fill a busy bar. It
was a rare, raw education.
Published on Mar
31, 2014 watch Carson McHone’s “Goodluck Man”
She pumped her music full of details from an early adulthood spent in the company of the heartbroken and high-toleranced. In 2015, McHone released Goodluck Man, which earned her a cover story in The Austin Chronicle as well as the support of local icons like Ray Wylie Hubbard, who said she "writes songs like her life depends on it." Then she hit the road, touring the U.S. (and beyond) with acts like Shakey Graves, Gary Clark, Jr., and Joe Pug. Her writing style widened and her music evolved, which led her to stretch out on Carousel.
TUE NOV 13, 2018 - Skinny
Dennis, Brooklyn, New York with Zephaniah
OHora
WED NOV 14, 2018 - Hill
Country BBQ, New York City
THURS NOV 15, 2018 - Hill
Country BBQ, Washington Dc
FRI NOV 16, 2018 - Halfway
House Concerts, Chattanooga,
Tennessee
SAT NOV 17, 2018 - The
Basement, Leo Rondeau, Nashville,
Tennessee with Lillie Mae
SUN NOV 18, 2018 – Railgarten,
Memphis, TN, United States
SUN NOV 18, 2018 - By The
Tracks House Concert, Germantown, TN
FRI NOV 23, 2018 - Gruene Hall,
New Bruanfels, Texas with Charley Crockett
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