Album Review: Songs from the Movie by Mary Chapin Carpenter

Though singer/songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter was initially considered a country performer, she was never easily boxed in; her interests and songs ran from folk to rock to pop, and she never reined them in. She was part of an anti-establishment group of writers and performers who came from the East Coast acoustic music scene and hit Nashville in the late 1980s. Most are footnotes now, but Carpenter has remained vital, productive, and has a track record of consistency most artists would -- or at least should -- envy.

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Mary Chapin Carpenter is a Grammy-winning country star who was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012, but she has always been a maverick, influenced by folk, country rock and even stadium rock. She has written some fine, pained and thoughtful songs, often dealing with ageing and unhappy relationships. Now comes a brave reworking of 10 of her songs, backed by a 63-piece orchestra and 15-voice choir, turning them into an imaginary film soundtrack: it works best when Vince Mendoza's arrangements don't disrupt her carefully observed storytelling.

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