Stones In The Road - Mary-Chapin Carpenter

...perilous underneath".

Stones in the Road - the title song tells of how life used to be and how different it is now in modern times with a beautiful melody.

A Keeper for every flame - A toe-tapper of a song about being guarded and not giving all of yourself to a relationship "Sometimes its a fire burning out of control/Sometimes its a candle burning long and low"

Tender when I want to be ...
...Trisha Yearwood contributes on background vocals.

Shut up and kiss me - an upbeat number about a woman pulling the strings and being in charge in the relationship.
Lee Roy Parnell plays guitar on this track.

The last word - self explanatory this one, a relationship breaking down, the woman walking away giving the man the last word, I think this is the weakest song on this album

The end of my pirate ... more

This album is one of my all time favourites. All songs were written my MCC and the album is produced with her long time collaborator John Jennings.

There are 13 songs on this album and all are quite different, there are ballads, up tempo and even a song which tells a true story. I will start with that song "John Doe No. 24" - MCC tells the story from his point of view. He was a deaf blind teenager unable to speak and was found wandering the streets in Jacksonville, no family could be found so he was put in an institution. He spent the rest of his life in institutons and care homes until he died at the age of 64. The lyrics read "While I drew breath, no one missed me/ So they won't on the day that I cease" very sad, but a beautiful song.

Why walk when you can fly - this song is about making the best of what you have, a little bit more up tempo with a lovely piano break in the middle.

House of cards - A song about what goes on behind closed doors in what appears to be a happy family. The title describing the fragility of family life and all not appearing as it seems. Lyrics read "On the surface it looked so safe/But it was perilous underneath".

Stones in the Road - the title song tells of how life used to be and how different it is now in modern times with a beautiful melody.

A Keeper for every flame - A toe-tapper of a song about being guarded and not giving all of yourself to a relationship "Sometimes its a fire burning out of control/Sometimes its a candle burning long and low"

Tender when I want to be - a song about finding the right person
Trisha Yearwood contributes on background vocals.

Shut up and kiss me - an upbeat number about a woman pulling the strings and being in charge in the relationship.
Lee Roy Parnell plays guitar on this track.

The last word - self explanatory this one, a relationship breaking down, the woman walking away giving the man the last word, I think this is the weakest song on this album

The end of my pirate days - this one is about leaving a life of adventure behind and living out the rest of your days in solitude - "And if I've called his name since then, its only been in dreams my friend"

Jubilee - This is one of my favourites, a gorgeous melody with the lyrics to match, being there for someone. Shawn Colvin guests on background vocals.

Outside looking in - this song is about someone looking at relationships of other people and feeling alone "I heard the sound a heart must make when a memory's caving in" great lyrics.

Where time stands still - a relationship breaking down, not many lyrics on this track and a real slow one.

This is love - This track tells you about the good things being in love can bring, and of being there for someone even when you are apart. A strong finish to the album.

Please don't get the impression this is a downbeat CD, the songs are beautifully written and performed and you do get lost in the lyrics. You can't put MCC in a pidgeonhole marked "country" she is so much more than that and to do so would limit the number of listeners. 

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