“For me, this is an album that’s focused on growth and maturity, but it’s not deadly serious,” says front man Barry Privett. “I wanted to examine my life and the lives of my family and friends and do it with a little bit of a wink. The last thing I wanted to do was get all dark and overwrought.”
Privett and his bandmates dodge that pitfall with aplomb on Nothing Rhymes With Woman, the much-anticipated follow-up to the acclaimed 2006 offering Love, Loss, Hope, Repeat. As ever, the quintet -- recently joined by drummer Jason Neal, a veteran of the southeast’s club circuit, and Seattle bassist Jon Markel -- challenge themselves and listeners by steadfastly refusing to retrace old steps, bringing in like-minded collaborators (like Toby Lightman, who brings a burnished tone to her vocal parts on the gritty “Meltdown”) and taking off in plenty of new directions of their own accord.
That sense of freshness, to hear Privett tell the tale, has a lot to do with the relaxed nature of the disc’s recording, which took place in their Richmond, Virginia backyard. “This time, we did something we hadn’t done in a long time, and that was to just throw away the timeline altogether,” says the singer. “We waited until everyone believed in every single song without any doubt or questions. It was a return to the days of doing music for the sheer joy of just doing it.”
The joy he’s talking about proves contagious throughout the 13-song disc, both in sonic touches like the soaring harmonies that buoy “Indecision” and the instantly relatable vibe of narratives like the nostalgic childhood flashback “X-Ray.” The tones are certainly varied -- things get more than a little misty on “Pink,” a poignant tale of a woman battling serious illness -- but they’re invariably free of artificiality. Every color here is one that one can find in nature.
“A lot of the songs are about getting back to your roots,” says Privett, who reckons the band gained a lot of traction by spending a considerable stretch of time close to home, as opposed to its usual relentless touring slate. “You know, holding onto the touchstones that keep you grounded in reality. They’re easy to lose sight of sometimes, and often you need reminding. Fortunately, we have friends and family that will do that in no uncertain terms.”
Nothing Rhymes With Woman finds the Virginia-based band firmly in touch with its roots -- the Celtic tinge that cloaks “Pink” is reminiscent of Carbon Leaf’s passel of self-released discs. Throughout the set, however, the quintet affirms a commitment to moving forward, kicking out the jams a bit more aggressively on the sinewy walking blues “Another Man’s Woman” and interpolating the rich organ playing of longtime Dave Matthews Band keyboardist Butch Taylor on several tracks, including the arresting opener “Indecision.”
“It’s always been really important to us to keep an organic feel to what we do,” says Privett. “For us, recording this album was like a renewal, kind of like the coming of spring. In a way, it’s very sensual, very sexual, gentle and mellow in spots, but also acknowledges a fair share of optimism and a re-awakening to new possibilities.
In 2004, Vanguard released Carbon Leaf’s breakthrough disc, Indian Summer, which earned rave reviews from sources like The Washington Post, which marveled at Privett’s ability to “capture the emotional ache of a twenty-something as he watches his friends scatter to the four corners of the world”. For the next year and a half, the quintet would set about winning over audiences while on tour -- a recipe that helped "Life Less Ordinary" and "What About Everything?” up the charts.
That winning streak continued with Love, Loss, Hope, Repeat, a darker collection, recorded in Nashville, that showcased other facets of the Carbon Leaf sound and rose to number-three on Billboard’s Top New Artists chart. “We definitely stretched ourselves on that album,” says Privett. “It was unsettling in a way, but definitely helped us find ourselves.”
Reunited with producer John Morand, who manned the board for Indian Summer, Carbon Leaf takes the proverbial next step on Nothing Rhymes With Woman. The multi-instrumental web woven by Carter Gravatt and Terry Clark provides a perfect backdrop for Privett’s tenor, which hovers ethereally on “Lake of Silver Bells” and cuts with the precision of a knife wielded by a master chef on the poignant “Miss Hollywood.”
“I think ’Miss Hollywood,’ like a lot of the album, has a kind of feminine energy, which helps explain the title,” says Privett. “It’s that balance of strength and fragility, of keeping dreams in check, but not forgetting where they came from. It’s a positive and nurturing energy, and that’s the feeling we’d like people to come away with when they listen to the album.”
Barry Privett: Vocals, guitar
Terry Clark: Guitar, vocals
Carter Gravatt: Guitar, vocals
Jason Neal: Drums, percussion
Jon Markel: Bass
Life Less Ordinary
Carbon Leaf Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Live a life extraordinary with me.
Live a life less sanitary.
Live a life evolutionary with me.
Well, I hate to be a bother,
But it's you and there's no other, I do believe.
But I know me very well,
At least as far as I can tell,
And I know what I need.
The night you came into my life
Well, it took the bones of me
Took the bones of me.
You blew away my storm and strife
And shook the bones of me
Shook the bones of me.
By the way,
I do know why you stayed away.
I will keep tongue tied next time.
Live a life less ordinary.
Live a life extraordinary with me.
My face has said too much
Before our hands could even touch
To greet a hello.
So much for going slow.
A little later on that year
I told you that I loved you, dear.
What do you know?
This, you weren't prepared to hear.
I'm a saddened man.
I'm a broken boy.
I'm a toddler with a complex toy.
I'm falling apart
Since the outburst on your heart.
The night you came into my life
Well, it took the bones of me
Took the bones of me.
You blew away my storm and strife
And shook the bones of me
Shook the bones of me.
By the way,
I do know why you stayed away.
I will keep tongue tied, but
Honey, understand
Honey, understand.
I won't make demands.
Honey, understand
Honey, understand
We could walk without a plan.
Honey, understand
Honey...
Honey, understand
I won't rest in stone,
All alone.
Honey, understand
Honey, understand
I'm all ready to go.
But you already know.
Live a life less ordinary.
Live a life extraordinary with me.
If I could name you in this song,
Would it make you smile and sing along?
This is the goal,
To get into your soul.
If I could make you dance for joy,
Could that be the second chance to coy
The bird in hand
I would need
To help you understand.
The night you came into my life
Well, it took the bones of me
Took the bones of me.
You blew away my storm and strife
And shook the bones of me
Shook the bones of me.
By the way,
I do know why you stayed away.
I will keep tongue tied next time.
The song "Life Less Ordinary" by Carbon Leaf is a love song about wanting to live an extraordinary life and experiencing love with someone. The first verse encourages the listener to live a life less ordinary and live an extraordinary life with the singer. The second verse suggests the need for the listener to also live a less sanitary lifestyle to experience a more evolutionary life.
The chorus repeats the idea of living an extraordinary life with the singer, but the bridge changes the tone of the song. The singer admits to being naive and falling apart when he revealed his love to the other person. He hopes to make it up to her by not making demands and walking with her without a plan.
The last verse speaks to the singer's desire to get into the soul of the other person by naming her in his song and making her dance for joy. He hopes to win over her love and understanding by coyly getting the bird in hand. Finally, he repeats the chorus that he wants to live an extraordinary life with her, but admits that he understands why she stayed away and promises to keep his tongue tied next time.
Line by Line Meaning
Live a life less ordinary.
live a unique and exciting life
Live a life extraordinary with me.
join me on a journey to a life full of adventure and awe
Live a life less sanitary.
embrace change and growth on this unorthodox path
Live a life evolutionary with me.
grow and progress with me as we live life to the fullest
Well, I hate to be a bother,
I apologize for my boldness
But it's you and there's no other, I do believe.
I firmly believe that you are the one for me
You can call me naive,
I may seem inexperienced
But I know me very well,
I have a good sense of who I am
At least as far as I can tell,
as far as I am aware
And I know what I need.
and I know what I need from a partner and a life
The night you came into my life
the night that I met you
Well, it took the bones of me
you had a profound impact on me
Took the bones of me.
you shook me to my core
You blew away my storm and strife
you brought calm and happiness into my life
And shook the bones of me
and you changed me fundamentally
By the way,
just so you know
I do know why you stayed away.
I understand why you were hesitant to get close to me
I will keep tongue tied next time.
I will choose my words more carefully in the future
My face has said too much
my emotions were written all over my face
Before our hands could even touch
before we even had a chance to get close physically
To greet a hello.
to simply say hello
So much for going slow.
my attempt at taking things slow didn't work out
A little later on that year
some time had passed
I told you that I loved you, dear.
I expressed my love for you
What do you know?
surprisingly
This, you weren't prepared to hear.
you weren't ready to hear me say it
I'm a saddened man.
I am feeling sad
I'm a broken boy.
I am feeling broken
I'm a toddler with a complex toy.
I feel like a child with a complicated toy
I'm falling apart
I feel like I'm losing control
Since the outburst on your heart.
since I expressed my feelings to you
Honey, understand
please understand
I won't make demands.
I won't pressure you into anything
We could walk without a plan.
we can go with the flow and not have everything figured out
I won't rest in stone,
I won't stay stuck in one place
All alone.
by myself
I'm all ready to go.
I'm ready for this adventure
But you already know.
but I know you are cautious
If I could name you in this song,
if I could put your name in this song
Would it make you smile and sing along?
would it make you happy and want to participate?
This is the goal,
this is what I'm striving for
To get into your soul.
to connect with you on a deeper level
If I could make you dance for joy,
if I could make you happy and excited
Could that be the second chance to coy
could this be the opportunity to be playful
The bird in hand
the opportunity in front of us
I would need
I would require
To help you understand.
to make you see things from my perspective
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: BARRY THOMAS PRIVETT, CARTER GRAVATT, SCOTT ANDREW MILSTEAD, TERRELL H. CLARK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind