"Between Here And Gone" - Mary Chapin Carpenter (Review)
	I first caught on to Mary Chapin Carpenter over ten years ago like most people with the album, Come On Come On.  I had heard her big songs, such as I Feel Lucky, Passionate Kisses, and even the earlier recorded Down At The Twist And Shout, loving the up-tempo feelings and bought the album.  However, it was after seeing her perform on Austin City Limits a few months later and hearing the song, Only A Dream, that I felt I had been hit with something musically different.  (I thought the song was not recorded only to stupidly find it also on Come On Come On).  So with the release of her latest collection, I was concerned that with her first album post-9-11 and without John Jennings producing, I was curious where Mary might be taking me next.  What I discovered was this amazing journey of preservation through horrendous events and a true understanding of the complexity of life that has made Mary one of only three artists who I do not hesitate to buy without a listen beforehand.
	She opens the set with complicated thought amid simplicity with What Would You Say To Me and it mostly feels like a warm-up, but she hits the stride with Luna's Gone, an ode to a parent's inability to figure out the path of their child. From here, something changes and we get to hear Mary as just herself.  The next song, In My Heaven, finds us hearing what we might find in her afterlife and its realities and suddenly we are cast into her home's present day in Goodnight America, much in the spirit of Simon and Garfunkel's America, filled with cynicism and hope combined.  The albums centerpiece to me is the title track, a song which makes me have to sit and ponder anytime I hear it in its quest for life's meaning and where we find it.  From there, One Heart offers the road map of life while Beautiful Racket soars us back to speed and the enjoyment of noise around us despite the setbacks.  Love gets resolved in Girls Like Me, an ode to the girl left behind and who she really is and River, a true love song about the devotion needed for to keep two people together.  Nearing the end, we are presented Grand Central Station, a testament to the loss of the people of New York City, The Shelter Of Storms, a haunting song about running away from life instead of finding its beauty, and Elysium, a song about taking that journey with someone without fully understanding why.
		If you are a person who seeks a real connection to the lyrics of songs while keeping the music plucking in the background not far behind, Mary will capture you here with Between Here And Gone.  She will not disappoint the eager fan with this release, but she will make a few fans that strive towards a little more the standard feelings.  If there is one thing you can count on from Mary, you will find yourself transporting yourself to one of your many life moments and journeys and you can be sure to find it here.
		Standout Songs:  Luna's Gone, Goodnight America, Between Here And Gone, Girls Like Me, River, Beautiful Racket, The Shelter Of Storms