Newcomer is recognised as a rare breed of singer/songwriter: the kind who illuminates life with startling depth, humor and clarity. Her ability for sharp observation of the world lead the Dallas Morning News to rave, "She's the kind of artist whose music makes you stop, think and then say, 'that is so true'." Mining what is true, Newcomer's latest Rounder release, Before and After is a multi-layered work that invites the listener to slow down and reflect on the experiences that have changed and shaped our lives. On Before and After, Newcomer remarks, she has "peeled back another musical and emotional layer". The result is melodious and smooth, infused with classic Newcomer grace and honesty, so that, she says "there is something unguarded and naked about this album."
Praised by Billboard as a "soaring songstress," Newcomer is an acclaimed musician who continues to create music from her uniquely spiritual and poignant take on the world. Before and After is no exception, highlighting Newcomer's ability to blend her rich alto with a poetic lyricism on a skillfully arranged and performed collection of folk roots tracks, with Appalachian and classical influences. "The joy and challenge in creating this album was endeavoring to be fearlessly uncluttered and subtle," Newcomer says. The title track features an unforgettably haunting and beautiful duet with a special guest appearance by Mary Chapin Carpenter, launching the album with a remarkable collaboration from two of acoustic music's most resonant female vocalists.
Recorded and produced by Newcomer and David Weber at Airtime Studios, Before and After is Newcomer's twelfth release on Rounder, with prior albums including Regulars & Refugees, The Age of Possibility, The Gathering of Spirits, the Betty's Diner collection and her last critically acclaimed album The Geography of Light. Before and After results from working closely with a core of exceptional musicians, including Gary Walters on piano, Chris Wagoner on violin, mandolin, dobro and accordion, Mary Gaines on cello, Byron House on upright acoustic bass, Jim Brock on percussion, Keith Skooglund on guitar, and a second stunning duet featuring special guest Krista Detor on "Do No Harm." At the center is Newcomer's adept guitar work and resonant voice, which the Austin Statesman has described as being "as rich as Godiva chocolate." The album's artwork features the work of Hugh Syme, whose sense of magical realism captures Newcomer's joyous idea about finding miracles in common places.
On Before and After, the listener experiences a deep connection through Newcomer's lyrics, which explore life with a progressive spiritual sensibility. The Minneapolis City Pages wrote, "Newcomer's musing is deeply introspective, but she offers it with a poet's sense of nuance and a folkie's common touch, turning philosophical theory into the stuff of people's daily lives." On the captivating title track, Newcomer ponders the notion that "We live our lives from then until now, by the mercies received or the mark upon our brow" - exploring the large and small experiences by which we mark our lives. On "Stones in the River" she tenderly reveals that we may never see fruit from the seeds we plant today, but regardless, it is still vital that we plant them. She holds close the insistence of hope in "If Not Now" ("But miracles do happen every shining now and then") in a style reminiscent of the richness and depth of the traditional spirituals. From the cinematic lushness of "Before and After" to the elegant string accompaniments of "I Do Not Know Its Name," to the lighthearted and poignant "I Wish I May I Wish I Might," Before and After is both timeless and contemporary.
Newcomer, a Quaker, cuts across secular and spiritual boundaries. In recent years, she has emerged as a respected and recognized artistic voice for the progressive spiritual community. On Before and After, Newcomer continues to be inspired by her friendships and recent collaborations with leading authors and theologians, including Parker J. Palmer, Phillip Gulley, Scott Russell Sanders, Jim Wallis, Brian McLaren, Jill Bolte Taylor, Richard K. Thomas and Barbara Kingsolver. Her relationship with this community influenced many of the album's compelling themes and inspired the songs: "Do No Harm," "Stones in the River," and "I Wish I May, I Wish I Might."
Newcomer has worked with many notable artists throughout her career and has met with critical acclaim for her music. In 2008, she was listed as one of the Top Most Influential Artists of the past 25 Years by Boston's WUMB. Her successful 2008 release, The Geography of Light, also earned her Artist of the Year and Album of the Year from Folk Wax Magazine. She has toured with Alison Krauss and Union Station in Europe and the U.S. and recorded the title track of her 2002 The Gathering of Spirits album with Krauss. Krauss went on to introduce Nickel Creek to Newcomer's song "I Should've Known Better," which the band recorded on their Grammy-winning, gold-selling album This Side (produced by Krauss). Currently Carrie is writing a collection of essays and a musical based on the characters and music of Betty's Diner with author, playwright and internationally recognized sound designer Richard K. Thomas.
Newcomer's music has been praised in Rolling Stone, The Village Voice, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Acoustic Guitar, Performing Songwriter, Paste Magazine and several other outlets. In the words of acclaimed writer Barbara Kingsolver, author of The Poisonwood Bible, "Carrie Newcomer is much more than a musician. She's a poet, storyteller, snake charmer, good neighbor, friend and lover, minister of the wide-eyed gospel of hope and grace."
In the fall of 2009, Newcomer was invited by The American Center, the cultural outreach division of The American Embassy in India, to represent the U.S. as a cultural ambassador. Newcomer performed concerts for Indian audiences and young people involved with community service, taught workshops on songwriting, community service, and met and performed with contemporary, traditional and classical Indian musicians. She also visited slum programs for women and children at risk throughout the country of India. About her impressions of India, Newcomer says, "Music can be a language deeper than words. I love our differences. Cultures are rich and what makes each culture unique is to be celebrated, but I was powerfully moved by what we share as a human family."
www.carrienewcomer.com
Distance
Carrie Newcomer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I think it makes your heart forgetful
Sometimes I wonder what we do this for
But I can feel you sitting in the side seat
I can hear you whispering against my cheek
Hotel beds get big and wide
I can see me coming home to you
I can see me coming home to you
Coming home
I've always been like so much running water
Smoothed your heart like stones in the riverbed
But sometimes I don't know my own heart and head
You are also restless and moving
You are crossing another state line
You say that you love me, but it's been a long long time
I can see me coming home to you
I can see me walking real slow and sure
I can see me coming home to you
Coming home, coming home to you
I've got hours to go, just me and my radio
With my hands filled with time
I've got a hungry mind to know know it and to know you
Making peace with the past
And the things that we've come to learn it like we've earned it
To live after a fashion a with some kind of passion
It's another love song that I don't have an end for
Another way of saying I hope this whole thing works out again
But I've always kept a part of my heart free
And that's the part you've been asking of me
I can see me coming home to you
I can see me walking real slow and sure
I can see me coming home to you
Coming home coming home to you.
Carrie Newcomer's song "Distance" explores the nature of long-distance relationships and how the distance can deepen one's appreciation of their partner despite the challenges it presents. The song opens with the idea that distance can make the heart forgetful, but in the chorus, Newcomer sings of her yearning for home and her partner. The hotel beds that once felt so big and wide become small and insignificant as she dreams of the moment she can return to the one she loves.
The verses of the song speak to the emotional turmoil that long-distance relationships can bring, as both partners are left feeling restless and constantly moving. Despite this, Newcomer trusts that her heart is in the right place, and the distance has only strengthened her love. The bridge of the song is about coming to terms with the realities of the relationship and making peace with the past, in order to move forward with some kind of passion.
Overall, "Distance" is a moving exploration of the complexities of love and distance. It is a reminder that even in the toughest of times, love can be a transformative force that makes us stronger and more resilient.
Line by Line Meaning
Distance can deepen your appreciation
Being far away from someone or something can help you understand and appreciate them/it better.
I think it makes your heart forgetful
However, distance can also make you feel forgetful or uncertain about your feelings.
Sometimes I wonder what we do this for
The singer wonders about the purpose of being separated from someone they care about.
But I can feel you sitting in the side seat
Despite the distance, the singer feels the presence of the person they miss.
I can hear you whispering against my cheek
They also seem to hear the person's voice and feel their touch.
Hotel beds get big and wide
The singer is staying in a large, impersonal place without their loved one nearby.
I can see me coming home to you
Despite this, the singer imagines returning home to be with the person they miss.
I can see me walking real slow and sure
They picture themselves confidently and deliberately making their way back to their loved one.
You are crossing another state line
The person they miss is on the move, traveling to another state or location.
You say that you love me, but it's been a long long time
The singer is unsure if the person they love truly loves them back, especially since they have been apart for so long.
I've got hours to go, just me and my radio
The singer is traveling alone, passing time by listening to music.
With my hands filled with time
They feel like they have plenty of time on this journey.
I've got a hungry mind to know know it and to know you
But they are also eager to learn and understand more about the world and the person they care about.
Making peace with the past
The singer is reflecting on their past experiences and relationships.
And the things that we've come to learn it like we've earned it
They have learned many things from their experiences, which they feel like they have earned.
To live after a fashion a with some kind of passion
The singer wants to live life with passion and meaning, even if they don't always know what that means.
It's another love song that I don't have an end for
The singer is writing another song about love, but they don't yet know how it will end.
Another way of saying I hope this whole thing works out again
They are expressing their hope that their relationship will work out in the end.
But I've always kept a part of my heart free
Despite their love for the other person, the singer has always kept a part of themselves separate and independent.
And that's the part you've been asking of me
The person they love has been asking them to be more independent and true to themselves.
I can see me coming home to you
Finally, the singer imagines themselves coming home to be with the person they love.
I can see me walking real slow and sure
They feel confident and decisive about returning to their loved one.
I can see me coming home to you
They repeat the hopeful vision of reuniting with their love.
Coming home coming home to you
They are mentally preparing themselves to return home and be with the person they miss.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: CARRIE ANN NEWCOMER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind