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
La Paloma
Carrie Newcomer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where no one can see you cry
Trouble dogs us like a shadow
Though I cannot tell you why
Life is a fine and fleeting moment
Bittersweet and hard as stone
I can't change what fate has dealt you
But no one should walk alone
Fly Away La Paloma
Take my love when you go
Where no one can harm you
And there's nothing you need
It's not as far as we believe
Somewhere a door is opening
While another door is closed
Sunset wraps its shawl of color
From here to Mexico
There's the sound of wings around you
Like the rustle of a skirt
Gone before you know it
All those tender little birds
Fly Away La Paloma
Take my love when you go
Where no one can harm you
And there's nothing you need
It's not as far as we believe
I dreamt I was walking
In an old familiar country
I thought I heard you singing
But I think I was just hungry
It's so many years behind me
Yet there's really no escape
No mater where we go
We still take our own landscapes
The full moon bows her head
And the she's putting on her veil
A whippoorwill is calling
And mourning dove exhale
Smell the night jasmine blooming
Someone's turning down the sheets
Forever opens up her arms
As the rain washes the streets
Fly Away La Paloma
Take my love when you go
Where no one can harm you
And there's nothing you need
It's not as far as we believe
Fly Away La Paloma
La Paloma
Fly Away
Carrie Newcomer’s song La Paloma is a poignant portrayal of the fleeting nature of life and the comfort of love that can help us fare through the difficult times. The song begins with an invitation to sit down in an alley where no one can see you cry, acknowledging the woes that often dog us like a shadow. The singer cannot change the hand dealt by fate to her loved one but wants to offer them her solace and support. She implores her loved one, symbolized by La Paloma, to fly away and take her love with her to a place where no one can harm her. The singer realizes that the power of love is limitless, and in its embrace, we can find strength, even in times of trouble.
The song continues to evoke imagery of transitions; it speaks of doors opening and closing, sunsets that bring a shawl of colors, and the tender little birds that fly away. The singer reminisces on old memories, wherein they dreamt of walking in an old familiar country where they thought they heard La Paloma singing. The song acknowledges that no matter how much we try to run away from our past, we are forever bound by our memories that we carry with us. The song ends on a hopeful note, with Forever opening up her arms, urging La Paloma to Fly Away, knowing that it's not too far away.
Line by Line Meaning
Sit down here in the alley
Come and sit with me here in this quieter, hidden space
Where no one can see you cry
Let's find some privacy where you can feel free to express your emotions
Trouble dogs us like a shadow
Problems seem to always be with us, hovering in the background
Though I cannot tell you why
I don't know why we are burdened with these difficulties
Life is a fine and fleeting moment
Life is precious but also brief
Bittersweet and hard as stone
It can be difficult and painful even though it is beautiful
I can't change what fate has dealt you
I can't do anything to alter the course of events that have caused you such pain
But no one should walk alone
But I can be here for you, offering you company and support
Somewhere a door is opening
There is always hope that things will get better
While another door is closed
Even as we face new challenges and opportunities, we must also accept the loss that comes with change
Sunset wraps its shawl of color
The beauty of the natural world can be comforting in darker times
From here to Mexico
Its power is not limited to one place or time
There's the sound of wings around you
You are not alone; there are always signs of life and hope in the world
Like the rustle of a skirt
It's a gentle, feminine sensation that can be reassuring
Gone before you know it
Sometimes hope is fleeting and hard to grasp
All those tender little birds
But their presence is a reminder to keep our eyes open for signs of hope
I dreamt I was walking
I had a dream I was somewhere else
In an old familiar country
It was a place I knew well
I thought I heard you singing
I thought I heard your voice among the sounds of the dream
But I think I was just hungry
But maybe it was just my imagination, or my stomach growling
It's so many years behind me
But the memory of it still stays with me
Yet there's really no escape
Even when we move on from things, they stay with us in some way
No mater where we go
No matter where we are in the world, we can't entirely leave behind our past or our memories
We still take our own landscapes
Our own experiences and perspectives color the way we see the world
The full moon bows her head
The majesty of the natural world can be comforting, even in dark times
And then she's putting on her veil
But there is also a sense of transience and change inherent in the beauty of nature
A whippoorwill is calling
The sounds of nature can be soothing and hopeful
And mourning dove exhale
Even amidst sorrow, there is a sense of release and letting go
Smell the night jasmine blooming
The beauty of the natural world can be a source of comfort and solace
Someone's turning down the sheets
It's a quiet, intimate moment that reminds us of the comfort of home and the closeness of human relationships
Forever opens up her arms
We are surrounded by a world of possibility and hope
As the rain washes the streets
Even the most difficult times can be washed away by the passage of time and the cleansing power of nature
Fly Away La Paloma
Take flight from the troubles that have been following you
Take my love when you go
Take my affection and support with you wherever you end up
Where no one can harm you
Where you can find safety and refuge
And there's nothing you need
Where you can be free from the burdens that have weighed you down
It's not as far as we believe
The distance between where you are now and where you need to be is not as great as it might seem
Contributed by Ellie G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.