Rearview Mirror Tears [Digipak] - Carson Kendle

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it rate alongside the competition	Good
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	One of those albums that puts a smile on your face when you listen to it
Disadvantages:	Probably for fans of country, alt - country, bluegrass and roots only

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Once in a while you come across an artist who just seems to offer that extra 'something' - whether it's a distinctive voice, edgy guitars, inspired arrangements or quirky lyrics, you know you've found somebody worth listening to, even if there's a few raw edges or they're not particularly 'trendy'. Back in the summer of 2007, a young Canadian fiddle player called Kendel Carson (note the correct spelling of her first name, Ciao - couldn't find the album searching under her real name!) brought out an amazing double CD as a debut release - "Rearview Mirror Tears". Whilst it will never win awards for originality or even possibly exceptional musical expertise, I found it did several things extremely well - Kendel's enthusiasm, coupled with an almost refreshing naviety in some of the performances, sat well with other tracks that made me think she'd been in the business for years. Her voice is rather good too - all of which makes me suspect this won't be the last we hear of her....

Whilst this CD is labelled as 'country' (and it largely is), she started out doing the folk festivals and there's a hint of folk evident throughout the album, even if you have to scratch the surface somewhat to find it. I've lent this album to a few people recently and in every case they've had the same reaction as I have, even if like me they're not strictly out and out country fans - my own interests largely stop at the alt-country border, wherever that may lie. Other people who I know have bought this don't regret buying it either - in fact I've not seen or heard a bad word said against it....

Where did I find out about Kendel Carson? Where else but the Bob Harris Saturday Show on Radio 2 (1100-0200) - if you're interested in hearing new alt-country/folk/blues or indie releases, try listening to his show - there's so much I've learned about over the last ten years through his show - and from buying lots of featured albums, moving onto the inevitable 'you bought xxxx, you might like yyyy as well' recommendations. Back to Kendel - Bob plugged her new album like hell when it was released - after a couple of listens to "I Like Trucks" I knew I had to buy this simply because that song sounded almost like a bar brawl set to music....

Okay, the gatefold CD (with cardboard covers) contains two discs, the second a bonus one with two tracks on it - the rationale behind this being explained in the notes accompanying the lyrics. Seems these were recorded after the album was completed, but Kendel couldn't find a good way of including them in the already finished running order. There's full lyrics for each song (including the bonus tracks).

Said running order is as follows:

1. Run To The Middle Of The Mornin'
2. I Like Trucks
3. Take Me Down To The River
4. Ribbons & Bows
5. I Certainly Know Why
6. Gold In The Hills (Of Saltery Bay)
7. In The Middle Of A Think About You
8. Especially For A Girl
9. Child All Over Again
10. Ain't That A Sun
11. Just What Happened To The Moon

1. There's No Angel On My Shoulder
2. Who Wants To Ride This Train

For me, the album was almost worth it just for "Run To The Middle Of The Mornin'" alone - even though it starts off as a muted performance with colloborator Chip Taylor's backing vocals, his guitar and Kendel's fiddle, it quickly develops into a good ol' fashioned hoedown complete with shouts of "Johnnie" or "JP!" to lead in the electric guitar solos during the numerous breaks. This could almost be lifted straight from a traditional roots arrangement - which is probably why the song succeeds like it does. As an introduction to just how well the musicians play together, it scores full marks.

If you've heard her before, chances are you did via "I Like Trucks", which not only received airplay through Bob Harris but also via a few of the more mainstream shows on Radio 2 during the summer of 2006. There's nothing particularly exceptional about the song itself - but where it does score heavily is in the gutsy performance, which could almost be done live - you virtually feel as though you're sitting in the bar listening to her and her band right there on the stage. Mind you, that's probably got a lot to do with the fact that's it's not an antiseptic production, since it comes complete with catcalls, attempts by the audience (or is it the band themselves?) to emulate Kendel's singing, handclaps and virtually everything else you'd probably expect - including the point when the music drops away completely and its just her and everyone else singing along to no accompaniment whatsoever. You shouldn't like this song as it's a complete cliche, but there's just something about it that draws you in and won't let go until you start singing along with it....

"Take Me Down To The River" goes back to an almost traditional style complete with acoustic and electric guitar, plus some wonderful fiddle playing - in all the excitement of the previous track you tend to forget that Kendel Carson is actually quite proficient on said instrument. This sort of thing would not have seemed out of place on the soundtrack of "O Brother Where Art Thou?". Muted, understated and quite lovely.

"Ribbons & Bows" seems to carry on in much the same style, although it's firmly rooted in contemporary lifestyles. A more introspective song, it also relies heavily on her softly-delivered vocals (albeit with just the slightest hint of a harder edge that she's keeping tightly controlled for now) and the merest hint of backing instruments.

"I Certainly Know Why" takes her towards being the country version of Alanis Morrisette, since the chorus contains the line "I know why I cry like I do, 'cause I'm so pissed off at you".... Whilst others might draw on it and emphasise it, here it's more or less just part of the song, although that harder edge I referred to comes out a little more here. Again, minimal backing is the order of the day, but then the song really focusses on her vocals so there's little call for much else - and little else is really needed.

Another of my favourite tracks is "In The Middle Of A Think About You", which apart from the first couple of tracks might be the nearest thing to a 'radio friendly' track on the entire CD. Her voice throws off the hard edge and assumes a much friendlier, melodic tone - whilst the accompaniment is much more pronounced and welcome.

"There's No Angel On My Shoulder" is a definite change in style and tone, though - and for this reason it's probably better off being included as a bonus. It's a much more powerful song than anything on the main CD, and it certainly stretches Kendel's voice more than the previous tracks - but she succeeds quite easily.

"Who Wants To Ride This Train" continues with the harder edge and could be considered as a much more country-fied song, whilst if you examine the lyrics closely there's a lot of evidence to suggest this is a cleaned-up version of what was originally written.... but is quietly enjoyable nonetheless.

In summary, whilst Kendel Carson and her backing band aren't necessarily brilliant, that's not taking anything away from some fine performances on "Rearview Mirror Tears". It's not a pretentious debut, nor is the artist a precocious talent, she and her band clearly are enjoying doing their stuff (especially on "I Like Trucks") and fans of music that has more than a passing nod to traditional American roots will find plenty to like here.