Mary Chapin Carpenter | |
|---|---|
 Carpenter in 1995 | |
| Born | (1958-02-21)February 21, 1958 (age 67) Princeton, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Education | Brown University (BA) |
| Occupations |
|
| Awards | Full list |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instruments |
|
| Works | Mary Chapin Carpenter discography |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Labels |
|
Spouse | |
| Website | marychapincarpenter |
Musical artist | |
Mary Chapin Carpenter[a] (born February 21, 1958) is an Americancountry andfolk music singer-songwriter. Carpenter spent several years singing inWashington, D.C.-area clubs before signing in the late 1980s withColumbia Records. Carpenter's first album, 1987'sHometown Girl, did not produce any charting singles. She broke through with 1989'sState of the Heart and 1990'sShooting Straight in the Dark.
Carpenter's most successful album is 1992'sCome On Come On, which accounted for seven singles and was certifiedquadruple platinum in the United States for shipments of four million copies. Her follow up album,Stones in the Road, appeared two years later and won Carpenter theGrammy Award for Best Country Album, while going double platinum for shipments of two million copies. After a number of commercially unsuccessful albums throughout the first decade of the 21st century, she exited Columbia forZoë Records. Her first album for this label was 2007'sThe Calling. She recorded several albums for Zoë until launching her own Lambent Light label in 2015.
Carpenter has won fiveGrammy Awards, from 18 nominations, including four consecutive wins in the category ofBest Female Country Vocal Performance between 1992 and 1995. She has charted 27 times on theBillboard Hot Country Songs charts, with her 1994 single "Shut Up and Kiss Me" representing her only number-one single there. Her musical style takes influence from contemporary country and folk, with many of her songs includingfeminist themes. While largely composed of songs she wrote herself or with longtime producerJohn Jennings, her discography includes covers ofGene Vincent,Lucinda Williams, andDire Straits, among others.
Mary Chapin Carpenter was born February 21, 1958, inPrinceton, New Jersey.[2] Her father, Chapin Carpenter Jr., was an executive forLife magazine.[3] When she was 12 years old, the family moved toTokyo, Japan, and lived there for about two years, as her father was looking to begin an Asian edition ofLife.[4] Her mother, Mary Bowie Robertson,[5] was afolk music singer and guitarist. As a child, Carpenter learned to play her mother'sukulele andclassical guitar in addition to writing songs.[6] She was also inspired by her seventh-grade science teacher, who was a guitarist as well.[4] After her family moved toWashington, D.C., in 1974, Carpenter played folk venues in the area. She attendedBrown University, from which she graduated with a degree in American civilization.[2] She began performingcover songs at the folk venues, but by 1981 she had added original material.[2] She befriendedJohn Jennings, a songwriter, instrumentalist, and record producer. The two began collaborating and put together ademocassette of several of Carpenter's songs which she sold at concerts.[2]
Jennings had originally planned to sign Carpenter to an independent label, but the owner of a Washington, D.C. nightclub submitted some of Carpenter's demos to a representative ofColumbia Records' Nashville division. This led to her signing with that label in 1987, only two days before she was slated to sign the contract with the other independent label.[7] Columbia released her debut albumHometown Girl in 1987.[7] The label hyphenated her first name as "Mary-Chapin" to indicate that it was acompound given name and lessen the possibility of her being referred to as just Mary. Her albums would continue to punctuate her name in this fashion until 1994.[1] Of the ten songs onHometown Girl, Carpenter wrote or co-wrote eight. The two exceptions were "Come On Home" and a cover ofTom Waits' "Downtown Train".[7] She had also recordedJohn Stewart's "Runaway Train" with the intent of including it on the album, but Columbia removed this song becauseRosanne Cash had also recorded it and wanted to issue it as a single.[8] Jennings played guitar, synthesizer, piano, bass guitar, andmandolin on the album, whileMark O'Connor contributed on fiddle andTony Rice on acoustic guitar. Musician Jon Carroll played piano and also provided percussion by shaking aCream of Wheat can.[9] While the album did not produce any charting singles,[10] it receivedword of mouth attention in folk music circles, which led to her being booked to perform at thePhiladelphia Folk Festival in addition to serving as an opening act forEmmylou Harris.[11][7]
Because of her first album's commercial failure, Carpenter sought to make her next one more appealing to country radio.[10] She charted for the first time in early 1989 with "How Do", which ascended to number 19 on theBillboardHot Country Songs charts.[12] The song served as the lead single to her second Columbia album,State of the Heart.[11] The album charted three more singles between 1989 and 1990. First was "Never Had It So Good", a song which Carpenter wrote with Jennings. By the end of 1989, this became her first top-ten hit onBillboard.[12] After it were "Quittin' Time" (co-written byRobb Royer andRoger Linn) and "Something of a Dreamer", which Carpenter wrote by herself.[12] William Ruhlmann ofAllMusic thought that Carpenter was "still in transition" between the folk influences of her debut and the more mainstream country sounds of her later albums.[13] She won Top New Female Vocalist from theAcademy of Country Music in 1989.[14] At the33rd Annual Grammy Awards in 1991, "Quittin' Time" was nominated for aGrammy Award forBest Female Country Vocal Performance.[15]
Her third Columbia album was 1990'sShooting Straight in the Dark. Its first single release was her own composition "You Win Again".[12] After it was a cover ofGene Vincent and the Blue Caps' "Right Now".[16][17] Both of these cuts achieved top-20 peaks on Hot Country Songs upon release.[12] "Down at the Twist and Shout", which featured instrumentation fromCajun bandBeauSoleil,[17] peaked at number two in 1991.[12] Released last from the album was the top-20 hit "Going Out Tonight".[12] Folk singerShawn Colvin, a frequent collaborative partner for Carpenter, sang duet vocals on the closing track "The Moon and St. Christopher".Don Dixon played bass guitar and sang backing vocals on the "Right Now" cover, andMatt Rollings contributed on piano. Jennings continued to serve as producer in addition to playing several instruments and contributing backing vocals.[18] Jim Bohen of theMorristown, New Jersey,Daily Record thought that the album was more upbeat than its predecessors, citing "You Win Again" and "Down at the Twist and Shout" as examples.[17] Mike DeGagne of AllMusic thought that the involvements of BeauSoleil and Colvin helped expand Carpenter's sound; he also praised her lyrics on "Halley Came to Jackson" and her vocal delivery on "What You Didn't Say".[16] "Down at the Twist and Shout" accounted for Carpenter's first Grammy Award win in 1992, in the category of Best Female Country Vocal Performance; the song was also nominated that year forBest Country Song.[15] The same year she won Top Female Vocalist from the Academy of Country Music.[14] TheCountry Music Association (CMA) awarded her Female Vocalist of the Year in both 1992 and 1993.[19]
Come On Come On, Carpenter's fourth Columbia album, was also her most commercially successful.[2] A decade after its 1992 release, it wascertified quadruple platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA), honoring shipments of four million copies in the United States.[20] It also charted a total of seven singles between 1992 and 1994. First among these was "I Feel Lucky". Upon its release to country radio, it achieved a peak of number four on Hot Country Songs.[12] The song was also a crossover hit in Canada, reaching top five on the country charts and number sixteen on the Adult Contemporary charts (both then published byRPM).[21] The next release from the album was "Not Too Much to Ask", a duet withJoe Diffie.[12] Following this was a cover ofLucinda Williams' 1989 single "Passionate Kisses". In addition to becoming a top-five country hit, Carpenter's rendition of the song went to number 57 on theBillboard Hot 100 and number 11 on theAdult Contemporary charts, her first entry on either.[22][12] In 1993, Carpenter joined other female country singers includingPatty Loveless andKathy Mattea for a television special onCBS titledThe Women of Country.[23]
The next single offCome On Come On was "The Hard Way", followed by a cover ofDire Straits' "The Bug".[12][24] After it came the top-ten hits "He Thinks He'll Keep Her" and "I Take My Chances".[12] Carpenter co-wrote "I Feel Lucky", "Not Too Much to Ask", "He Thinks He'll Keep Her", and "I Take My Chances" withDon Schlitz, and wrote "The Hard Way" by herself.[12]Come On Come On accounted for a number of Grammy Award wins and nominations for Carpenter. "I Feel Lucky" and "Passionate Kisses" won in the category of Best Female Country Vocal Performance in 1993 and 1994 respectively, while "The Hard Way" wasnominated by the same association for Best Country Song.[15] Like its predecessor,Come On Come On featured several musical collaborators. Colvin provided backing vocals on "The Hard Way", "Passionate Kisses", and the title track, with theIndigo Girls also appearing on the former. In addition, Rosanne Cash provided vocals to "Rhythm of the Blues". FormerSly and the Family Stone memberAndy Newmark played drums on three tracks.[25]David Browne ofEntertainment Weekly thought the album had more "edge and directness" than its predecessors, and thought that the lyrics had a theme of "women caught between tradition and contemporary roles who realize that the solution lies with their own inner resolve".[26]
Later in 1994, Carpenter releasedStones in the Road. Upon its release, it became her only one to reach number one on theBillboardTop Country Albums charts.[27] Likewise, the lead single "Shut Up and Kiss Me" became her only number one on Hot Country Songs. Follow-up "Tender When I Want to Be" peaked at number six, but the next two singles were less successful. "House of Cards" peaked at 21, while "Why Walk When You Can Fly?" became her first to miss top 40 entirely.[12]Stones in the Road was certified double platinum for American sales of two million copies.[20] Carpenter wrote every song on the album by herself. Among the contributing musicians were drummerKenny Aronoff and keyboardistBenmont Tench. "Shut Up and Kiss Me" and "Tender When I Want to Be" both featured backing vocals fromTrisha Yearwood, whileLee Roy Parnell playedslide guitar on both the former and closing track "This Is Love".[28] The title track was inspired by her memories of seeingRobert F. Kennedy's funeral procession when she was young.[29] Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Thom Jurek stated that "Carpenter cut back on the number of hooks in her melodies, creating a palette that required closer listening to appreciate". He compared "Tender When I Want to Be" to the work ofBruce Springsteen, and considered "John Doe No. 24" and "The End of My Pirate Days" "moodier" than her previous works.[30]Stones in the Road won Carpenter her firstGrammy Award for Best Country Album at the37th Annual Grammy Awards. At the same ceremony, "Shut Up and Kiss Me" won Best Female Country Vocal Performance and was nominated for Best Country Song, thus meaning that Carpenter won the former award in four consecutive years. She also received her first nomination outside the association's country music categories that year, when "He Thinks He'll Keep Her" was nominated forRecord of the Year.[15]
In 1996, Carpenter recorded a song titled "Dreamland" for a multi-artist album oflullabies called'Til Their Eyes Shine: The Lullaby Album. The same yearHarperCollins published the song's lyrics in a children's book also titledDreamland, with illustrations by Julia Noonan. All profits from sales of the book were donated to the Institute for Intercultural Understanding, a children's advocacy group.[31] Her last studio album to be released in the 1990s was 1997'sA Place in the World.[2] As was the case withStones in the Road, she wrote every song on the album by herself.[32] Carpenter told Russ DeVault ofThe Atlanta Constitution (nowThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution) before the album's release that she wished she had more time to record the album because she "likes to tweak things". She also stated that the title track represented a "sense of identity" and "search for fulfillment".[33] Lead single "Let Me into Your Heart" made number eleven on the country music charts.[12] Three singles followed—"I Want to Be Your Girlfriend", "The Better to Dream of You", and "Keeping the Faith"— but these three were considerably less successful.[12] "Let Me into Your Heart" accounted for a Grammy nomination for Best Female Country Vocal Performance, her last in that category.[15] Jurek wrote that the album "doesn't offer the deep reflective rewards ofStones in the Road, nor is it quite as kinetic asCome On Come On". Despite this, he thought that it was "well-crafted" and considered "Let Me into Your Heart" to have influences ofsoul music.[34] After this album, Carpenter stated that she began to feel "malaise" toward the pace of her career. As a result, she deliberately scheduled fewer touring dates to allow herself more time spent with family and friends.[35] She also expressed disdain towardA Place in the World, as she felt her management had pressured her into making a "commercially viable" album instead of letting her choose songs she wanted to record. As a result, she hired a new manager, Ron Fierstein, who at the time was also serving in this capacity for Colvin. Fierstein was supportive of Carpenter's decision to slow the pace of her career, and encouraged her to focus on touring and selecting songs until she felt she was ready to make another album.[36]
In 1999 she released her firstgreatest hits albumParty Doll and Other Favorites. Unlike most greatest hits packages, this consisted mostly of live recordings curated from various concerts and television appearances throughout the 1990s. It also included new studio recordings, which Carpenter and Jennings produced withBlake Chancey.[37] The title track was a cover ofMick Jagger's "Party Doll", from his 1987 albumPrimitive Cool.[38] Two of the new recordings, "Almost Home" and "Wherever You Are", were issued as singles, with the former becoming her last top-40 country hit.[12] Eli Messinger ofCountry Standard Time thought that the more up-tempo tracks such as "Down at the Twist and Shout" and "Shut Up and Kiss Me" showed "just how much fun Carpenter can be", while overall praising the album for including the majority of her hit singles.[39]
Her next Columbia album was 2000'sTime* Sex* Love*.[2] Lead single "Simple Life" accounted for her last chart entry to date, peaking at number 53 on Hot Country Songs.[12] According to Carpenter, theasterisks in the title represented an abbreviation of its full name: "Time is the great gift; sex is the great equalizer; love is the great mystery". This was a response that Jennings had to Carpenter when she stated that those three concepts were all represented in the album's lyrical content.[40] Carpenter recorded the album atAIR Studios, a studio inLondon owned byGeorge Martin.[2] Chancey once again assisted her and Jennings on production duties. She wrote every song on the album, collaborating withKim Richey,Gary Burr, and Jennings on some tracks. She also said that unlike withA Place in the World, she wanted to focus on making an album that she enjoyed, instead of attempting to find songs which would be successful at radio.[40] Throughout 2000 and 2001, she toured in both the United Kingdom and the United States, withSteve Earle joining her for the latter.[40]Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic said of the album that it "found Carpenter departing somewhat from her country-inflected sound and ruminating on relationships and career from a distinctly middle-aged perspective".[2] John Kenyon of theCedar Rapids, IowaGazette thought the album was well-produced but considered it too long and lacking in musical variety.[41] During this album's corresponding tour, Carpenter underwentarthroscopic surgery for a knee injury and thus had to perform most of the concerts while seated. She also told Dave Scheiber of theTampa Bay Times that while the album's songs were positively received in concert, she was disappointed by the lack of radio play and questioned whether she still considered herself a country artist.[36]
In 2002, Carpenter joined Emmylou Harris,Bruce Cockburn, andPatty Griffin in a benefit concert for Campaigning for a Landmine Free World, an organization dedicated to raising awareness oflandmines left behind in former war zones. This concert was held at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium inAsheville, North Carolina.[42] She was also named byHabitat for Humanity as the head of their Build Project, which employed women to build houses for the homeless across the United States.[43] Her contract with Columbia ended with her eighth studio album, 2004'sBetween Here and Gone.[2] Before its release, she stated in an interview withNational Public Radio (NPR) that the title track was inspired by the death of songwriterDave Carter.[44] Other songs on the album were inspired by the emotions Carpenter felt after theSeptember 11 attacks.[2] For this album, Carpenter chose session pianist Matt Rollings to produce, as she wanted to achieve a different production style than John Jennings offered. Despite this, Jennings still played several instruments on the album.[45] Other musicians includedMac McAnally,Stuart Duncan, andViktor Krauss.[46] The album's cover art was painted byAtlanta, Georgia-based painter Donna Mintz, who gave the original art to her as a gift and stated that she often listened to Carpenter's albums for inspiration.[47] Jurek thought the album was "a sophisticated but very accessible recording, pleasant in its tempos and in its lush presentation."[46]
After leaving Columbia Records, Carpenter signed with the independentZoë Records (a division ofRounder Records) in 2006.[48] Her first release for the label was 2007'sThe Calling. While it accounted for no charting singles, the release reached number ten on theBillboard country albums charts.[2] It was also nominated for theGrammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album in 2007.[15] Once again she wrote the entire album by herself and co-produced with Rollings. Jurek thought the album had strongerrock music influences than its predecessors due to a heavier use of electric guitar and drums, while saying of the album's lyrics that she "has a hell of a way of looking at life from all sides".[49] Shortly after the album's release Carpenter was hospitalized for apulmonary embolism, which forced her to cancel all concert dates that year.[50] After being released from the hospital on April 27, 2007, she issued a statement on her website saying she was recovering and planned to tour again in 2008.[51] Once she had recovered she began work onCome Darkness, Come Light: Twelve Songs of Christmas, her first album ofChristmas music. This was released in 2008.[2][52] For this project, Carpenter covered tracks byRobin and Linda Williams and theRed Clay Ramblers. She also included renditions of the carol "Once in Royal David's City" and the African-American spiritual "Children, Go Where I Send Thee", in addition to a number of songs she wrote herself. Jennings returned as producer for this project. She stated that the two intentionally sought to make the recording "spare", and thus did most of the songs with Jennings playing various acoustic instruments and Jon Carroll on piano.[52]
She continued to record for Zoë Records throughout the 2010s, with her next project beingThe Age of Miracles in 2010.[2] Many of the songs on this album were inspired by the emotions she felt after suffering her embolism, particularly the impact it had on her touring and recording career at the time.[53] In particular, she stated that the track "Iceland" represented the "feelings of loss and darkness and disconnection" she felt while hospitalized, and closing track "The Way I Feel" was about the "resilience" she felt after successfully recovering.[50] Rollings co-produced and contributed on piano andHammond organ, whileDan Dugmore playedsteel guitar andtwelve-string guitar. The album also featured duets withAlison Krauss andVince Gill.[54] Mark Deming of AllMusic wrote that the album was "a literate and thoughtful set of songs that speak to the concerns of the heart and soul with equal portions of compassion and intelligence", although he thought it might not appeal to fans of Carpenter's more up-tempo work such as "Shut Up and Kiss Me".[55] Jonathan Keefe ofSlant Magazine was less favorable toward the album, praising the lyrics of the title track and "I Put My Ring Back On" but overall criticizing the album's sound as "a pedestrian, coffeehouse blend of hushed acoustic strumming."[56] In July 2010, Carpenter performed "I Feel Lucky" at theGrand Ole Opry before doing a concert at theTennessee Performing Arts Center to promoteThe Age of Miracles.[57] Throughout mid-2011, she toured across the United States in support of this album.[58]
Ashes and Roses followed on Zoë in 2012. Two personal life events influenced this album's songs: the death of her father, and her divorce from her husband.James Taylor provided duet vocals on the track "Soul Companion".[59] Jurek called this project "the most confessional record of her career" and praised the use of Hammond organ and mandolin in the production.[60] Allison Stewart ofThe Washington Post wrote that it had "woeful and beautiful coffeehouse folk songs, decorated with sparing, almost offhanded instrumentation that’s often limited to guitars and pianos."[61] Keefe was less favorable toward the project, criticizing Carpenter's "hushed" vocal tone and the lack ofhooks.[62] Her next project was 2013'sSongs from the Movie, a collaboration with composer and conductorVince Mendoza. This consisted of orchestral re-recordings of existing songs in her catalog. After this album's 2014 release, she performed selections from it with theBBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra at theCeltic Connections festival inGlasgow, Scotland.[2] Writing for Country Standard Time, Jeffrey B. Remz thought the album needed "a bit more energy" and "veers decidedly towards the precious and pretty side, but sometimes a bit too much so."[63] In 2014, Carpenter's touring schedule included a mix of orchestral performances comprising selections fromSongs from the Movie, as well as acoustic sets featuring Jon Carroll, multi-instrumentalist John Doyle, and opening actTift Merritt.[64]
After leaving the Zoë label, she began recording her next album in 2015 with production work fromDave Cobb. This album,The Things That We Are Made Of, was released in 2016 via Carpenter's own Lambent Light Records label,[2] with distribution rights byThirty Tigers. In addition to producing the album, Cobb played guitar,Moog synthesizer, andMellotron. "Something Tamed Something Wild" was selected as the lead single. Carpenter promoted the album with a number of dates throughout 2016, starting with a concert atWolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., that July.[65] Carpenter said that she intentionally intended for her vocal tracks to be "imperfect", and that she had difficulty "relinquishing control" of production duties. She also said that some of the songs were inspired by her walking her dog through theBlue Ridge Mountains.[66] Prior to the album's release, NPR streamed it online through its First Listen program. Scott Stroud ofThe Associated Press described Cobb's production as "elegant" and considered it well suited to Carpenter's voice; he also thought that Carpenter's lyrics showed an "unexpectedly poignant turn of phrase".[67] Also in 2015, longtime collaborator John Jennings died ofkidney cancer.[68]
.jpg)
Next on Lambent Light was 2018'sSometimes Just the Sky. This album consisted of re-recordings of tracks from each of her previous albums, as well as the title track, the only original composition. English record producerEthan Johns produced the project, in addition to selecting all of the musicians except for Carpenter's touring guitarist Duke Levine. The musicians recorded the project atReal World Studios, owned byPeter Gabriel. After its release, she embarked on a tour throughout mid-2018 in support.[69] Following this project, she and Johns began work on another album. However, production was put on hiatus in early 2020 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. In response, Carpenter began streaming live acoustic performances online.[2] The second project with Johns,The Dirt and the Stars, was released in August 2020.[70] Also in 2020, she returned to Wolf Trap where, without an audience present, she performed a 26-song solo acoustic set. This set was recorded as an album and DVD release titledOne Night Lonely,[71] which received aGrammy Award for Best Folk Album nomination.[15] Once COVID-19 restrictions subsided across the United States, she announced plans to tour with Colvin in 2021. Due to a shoulder injury, she canceled these tour dates and did not begin touring again until 2022. Her tours in this timespan included a number of songs fromThe Dirt and the Stars.[71]
Carpenter's next album was released in January 2025. TitledLooking for the Thread, it is a collaboration with Scottish folk singersJulie Fowlis andKarine Polwart. She had met the two at the Celtic Connections music festival inGlasgow, and Fowlis and Polwart agreed to collaborate because they were fans of Carpenter's music.[72]
Carpenter released a new album on June 6, 2025, titledPersonal History, via Lambent Light/Thirty Tigers.[73]
Carpenter has appeared on a number of works by other artists. One of her first guest appearances was on the Indigo Girls' 1990 albumNomads Indians Saints, where she provided vocals to the track "Hammer and a Nail".[74] She did likewise to Colvin's "Climb on a Back That's Strong" andRadney Foster's "Nobody Wins", both from 1992.[75][76] A year later, she joinedBilly Ray Cyrus, Kathy Mattea,Tanya Tucker, andPam Tillis onDolly Parton's single "Romeo".[77] This song was nominated for aGrammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals in 1994.[15] Another collaboration with Colvin, "One Cool Remove", was released as a single from Colvin's 1994 albumCover Girl.[78] This rendition was a charted single for both artists in the United Kingdom a year later.[79] Also in 1994, Carpenter andKim Richey sang backing vocals on Tillis' cover ofJackie DeShannon's "When You Walk in the Room", a single from the albumSweetheart's Dance.[80]
In 1996, she sang a cover ofJohn Lennon's "Grow Old with Me" on the multi-artist tribute albumWorking Class Hero: A Tribute to John Lennon.[81] This rendition peaked at number 17 on the Adult Contemporary chart.[22] She sang the song "Dead Man Walking (A Dream Like This)" for thesoundtrack of the 1996 movieDead Man Walking.[82] A year later, she coveredDionne Warwick's "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" for the soundtrack of the movieMy Best Friend's Wedding.[83] Carpenter also appeared on bluegrass musicianRandy Scruggs' only charted single "It's Only Love", from his 1998 albumCrown of Jewels.[12] In 2002, she joinedSheryl Crow and Emmylou Harris to coverJohnny Cash's "Flesh and Blood" for the tribute albumKindred Spirits: A Tribute to the Songs of Johnny Cash.[84] This track received a nomination for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals at the45th Annual Grammy Awards.[15]
Carpenter is credited as a writer on a number of songs for other artists. These includeCyndi Lauper's "Sally's Pigeons",[85]Wynonna Judd's "Girls with Guitars",[86] Trisha Yearwood's "Where Are You Now",[87] andTerri Clark's "No Fear".[88]
Carpenter's music is defined by herfolk music influences and lyrical focus. Erlewine wrote that Carpenter "found favor on country radio in the 1980s and '90s by taking her emotionally intelligent songs to a mass audience."[2] Of her 1980s albums, he stated that "Country radio was hesitant to play her soft, folky,feminist material, but she received good reviews and airplay on more progressive country stations, as well as college radio".[2] In theVirgin Encyclopedia of Country Music, Colin Larkin noted the use of electric guitar in her more upbeat material such as "Passionate Kisses" and "The Hard Way", while also referring to "House of Cards" as "thought-provoking".[8] He also stated, "she, together with the likes of Trisha Yearwood,Suzy Bogguss, and Kathy Mattea, has brought fresh melody to an old and sometimes predictable genre."[8] Larry Katz of theRed Deer Advocate contrasted her with Yearwood and Wynonna Judd, noting that unlike those artists, Carpenter usually wrote her songs herself instead of relying on Nashville-based songwriters.[1] Alanna Nash ofEntertainment Weekly thought that by being a graduate of anIvy League college, Carpenter "seemed the least likely female to go the distance on the country charts".[23] Similarly, Katz thought that her upbringing was atypical of country music, which is more commonly associated with demographics pertaining to the ruralSouthern United States.[1]
Nash also noted the difference between "decidedly noncountry themes likeHalley’s Comet and the spiritual life of old shirts" in contrast to her more up-tempo material such as "Down at the Twist and Shout".[23] In a review ofStones in the Road for the same publication, Browne contrasted that album withCome On Come On, saying of the latter that "her square-jawed voice, leaner lyrics, and the sturdy-as-a-wooden-fence folk rock combined to make a deserved[...]breakthrough."[89] He also said of her writing style that Carpenter "sounds like someone who sits down and thinks about it — a lot — before committing it to song. Not since the heyday ofGordon Lightfoot has a singer-songwriter been so damn reasonable."[89] Mike DeGagne of AllMusic said of Carpenter's lyrics that she "portray[s] maturely the perils of romance and heartbreak from a female perspective".[16] Writing forAmerican Songwriter, Deborah Evans Price noted themes of feminism due to many of her songs being about single women attempting to overcome setbacks in her life; of this, Carpenter stated that "I've just been kind of writing for me."[4] Similarly, Nash stated that many of the songs onShooting Straight in the Dark featured women protagonists who "take matters into their own hands".[90] Eli Messinger of Country Standard Time described her singing voice as having "empathic clarity and force", particularly on "Passionate Kisses" and "He Thinks He'll Keep Her". He also stated that the former song had a theme of "desire", and the latter a "call to self-fulfillment".[39] Keefe found influences of folk andcountry pop in her 1990s albums, but thought that much of her work in the 21st century was "mixed" due to a lack of uptempo material and lyrical themes which he considered too similar to each other. He described the stronger tracks on these albums as appealing toadult album alternative formats.[56]
Carpenter was unmarried for most of her recording career. In a 1994 profile, Dana Kennedy ofEntertainment Weekly referred to Carpenter as "a spokes-singer for the thirtysomething single woman".[91] On June 1, 2002, she married Timmy Smith, ageneral contractor then working inBatesville, Virginia. ActressSissy Spacek and singerDave Matthews were in attendance at the wedding.[92] By 2007, the couple lived on a farm outsideCharlottesville, Virginia.[52] The couple divorced shortly before the release ofAshes and Roses (2012), at which point Carpenter continued to live on the farm. That album's track "What to Keep and What to Throw Away" was inspired by her divorce from Smith.[59]
Carpenter was the author of four columns inThe Washington Times from December 2008 to March 2009, in which she discussed topics related to music and politics.[93] Ben Walsh ofThe Independent cited this, along with her involvements in various charities, as examples of Carpenter'sliberal political leanings.[66] Relatedly, she toldThe Buffalo News in 1995 that she considered herself to be politically liberal; she also stated that "it seems as if theRepublicans co-opted the entire country music community. In fact, a lot of country artists areDemocrats."[29]
Carpenter has won fiveGrammy Awards,[15] three Academy of Country Music awards,[19] and two Country Music Association awards.[14]
Carpenter has released seventeen studio albums between 1987 and 2025.[2]
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
