The
continual search for keepers of the country flame from the contemporary pool
can pause for a moment to digest the brand new album from Carson McHone. CAROUSEL
may have a slightly rehashed slant to it, but if you are new to this Austin
Texas native then none of it matters. The eleven-track album gets its release
on Nine Mile Records, a label responsible for artists such as Carrie Rodriguez
in the past. One guarantee is that anybody with a faint interest in traditional
country music will at least raise an ear to the music of Carson McHone.
Expect
plenty of fiddle, steel and lyrics drowning in vocal emotion. In other words,
check off the country template credentials and sit down to enjoy how Carson has
successfully made a record to get the nod in influential circles.
In essence, the album is ten-strong in terms
of songs, the eleventh being a one-minute instrumental intro that effectively launches
the second half or reverse side if playing the vinyl version. Four of these songs
get a second life after surfacing on the 2015 self-released GOODLUCK MAN,
including the title track from that release. Whether or not you are au fait
with the previous record, chances are high that CAROUSEL will reflect
positively and slide neatly into any available listening space.
Whatever
tempo floats your boat; this album serves you well ranging from sad song waltz
syndrome attached to ‘Gentle’ to a
more foot-tapping rockabilly sound belting out of the pacey effort ‘Good Time Daddy’. Retro is especially
king in the fifties style swing number ‘Maybe
They’re Really Just Good Friends’, but to balance things and inject a
hybrid perspective ‘Drugs’ in the
second track position retains a contemporary feel. The latter uses repetition
effectively to power home the message and supplies a decent live video to highlight
the song.
Background
blurb sheds light on ‘Dram Shop Gal’
being autobiographical, and thus maybe a web search for the term as used in
Texas if unfamiliar. Note us Anglos may only know the meaning from the Scottish
phrase ‘wee dram’. For a slight switch in the sonic landscape, the final track ‘Spider Song’ detours from a country feel
to more of a folk sound courtesy of a melodeon/accordion style whirring
backdrop.
Elsewhere
on a record that eases itself comfortably into repeat play mode, ‘How ‘Bout It’ scores highly in late
night piano ballad territory. In contrast, ‘Lucky’
possesses an appealing mid-track tempo switch and if you feel the desire to anoint
a stand out song then it acts as a commendable candidate for the crown. Alternatively,
you could look no further than the opening number ‘Sad’, one possessing an initial dose of country music staple that
goes a long way to defining the album.
CAROUSEL is
a useful addition to any serious country music collectors’ catalogue and
showing once again, that Texas is often the hotbed for the decent stuff. The
name Carson McHone may not be yet well known, but time is still on the side of
this twenty something artist and further recordings as good as this one will
serve her well.