SHE MAY have won a sackful of CMA awards and become accepted by the Nashville establishment but don t ask Mary Chapin Carpenter to pose for a photo sitting on a bale of hay!
That actually happened to me recently, she recounts, over the line from Washington DC. It s unbelievable, the way some people want to stereotype you. A similar thing occurred when I was invited to be a guest on a TV sitcom here in the States. I thought it d be great fun doing it but then I was told I d be playing in a line-dancing scene. I had quite a battle to get them to change it.
Speaking prior to her upcoming European trek to promote Party Doll And Other Favourites, a compilation of hits, live tracks and rarities, Carpenter (who is recovering from minor back surgery) is in a philosophical mood, as she looks back over her decade in the spotlight. As an artist who consistently traversed styles and genres is she any closer to defining her place in the musical scheme of things?
Oh, I don t know, it all depends on who you talk to, she offers. A lot of people would say what I do is contemporary country. I suppose I ve gotten most of my airplay on country radio over the years so I m a country artist by default. But I ve never tried to dictate to anybody what I am I or what I m not. In a sense it s all about timing and opportunities. When I got a record deal it was a time when country was opening up to new artists and I was one of them.
In addition to her many chart toppers such as Passionate Kisses , I Feel Lucky and Shut Up And Kiss Me the album also showcases her ability to combine less overtly commercial roots styles with her own personal approach. Her collaboration with Cajun group BeauSoleil on the catchy Down At The Twist And Shout , which she performed live at the SuperBowl, scooped her a Grammy Award, in the process bringing a little known regional form to national prominence. The title-track Party Doll is a re-interpretation of a Mick Jagger song, which appeared on his second solo album.
But probably closer to her heart and that of her fans are more personal, introspective songs such as Stones in The Road , This Shirt and Grow Old With Me .
I feel most comfortable when I m completely consumed by the song, she explains. I just let my mind and imagination run free and see where it takes me. As far as a style or tempo goes I think it s less important than the soul of the song.
Carpenter s involvement in political and humanitarian issues has also marked her apart from most of her Nashville peers. She s supported various charities through the years (including an AIDS awareness campaign) and she has performed for US troops in Bosnia and the Persian Gulf. Has this ever caused problems within an industry known for its conservatism?
I don t really know if it has or not, she muses. If someone ever said I don t like the fact that she s supporting this cause or that cause so I m not going to buy her record I d never get to hear about it would I? As far as the industry goes, I ve never been blacklisted or told not to do something, so I don t feel it s a problem.
Yet another string to her bow is her more recent success as an author. She successfully captured the life of a musician on the road in the Stones In The Road Tour Book which consisted of essays she had written during the tour combined with photos taken by a Time Magazine photojournalist. Dreamland, a children s book based on a song she d written, was published by Harper Collins in 1996. Her second children s book Halley Came To Jackson, also based on the song of the same name, was published last year.
The first one was based on a lullaby and the publishers approached me and asked me to do it, she explains. I don t know whether they discovered that kids were falling asleep to my songs, but it was fun to do.
Meanwhile, despite her recent back injury Carpenter has been working on a new album which she hopes to have out next year. I did some work on it last week and my doctor was absolutely horrified, she confides. I don t known how it ll turn out just yet but I hope I ll take chances and risks and that I can grow. I think it s about chemistry in the end finding the way that serves you best. n
Party Doll And Other Favourites is released on Columbia Records. Mary Chapin Carpenter plays The Olympia, Dublin on 17th & 18th November 1999.