Melissa Carper New Release
Country’s Rising Star – Melissa Carper
New Album Coming ‘Ramblin’ Soul’
Single Out Now
Singer/songwriter and upright bassist Melissa Carper has released the first taste of her eagerly-awaited new album Ramblin’ Soul, due out November 18 via Mae Music/Thirty Tigers. The single is “Ain’t A Day Goes By”, penned in 2014 after the death of her beloved dog, Betty.
“This song is very emotional for me. It was difficult to go through my Dad’s death, then my Mom’s death only a year later, and really, in a sense, losing my younger brother to severe mental health issues that have changed his personality completely. Betty’s death crushed me because she had been through it all with me. The grief just started pouring out at that point. I wrote ‘Ain’t A Day Goes By’ within a year of her death, but could not sing it without crying until recently, so I haven’t performed it much in my shows. Now, it gets its rightful debut on Ramblin’ Soul because it is a true soul song.”
Melissa Carper
Carper’s style is classic – country, a bit jazzy, western swing, some soul as well – and she knows how to let her songs breathe and be pure, never in a hurry and eschewing unnecessary embellishments. Her 2021 release Daddy’s Country Gold was rightfully very well received (READ OUR REVIEW).
For the new record, Carper has turned again to co-producers Andrija Tokic and Dennis Crouch at The Bomb Shelter in Nashville.
Ramblin’ Soul features ten Carper originals, along with a co-write with life-long friend and bandmate Gina Gallina, a song written by the renowned vocalist Brennen Leigh, and a reimagined classic from folk pioneer Odetta.
“Ain’t a Day Goes By” is backed up by John Pahmer on the Hammond B3 and gospel-style harmonies of Kyshona Armstrong, Nickie Conley and Maureen Murphy. “1980 Dodge Van” is an ode to the loyal family vehicle, while “I Don’t Need to Cry” is a Patsy Cline-esque lament showcasing Carper’s classic country range and songwriting finesse. “Holding All The Cards” transports us to a smoky New Orleans speakeasy and Carper pays an upbeat western swing tribute to her current home state in “Texas, Texas. Texas”. The new record promises so much.
RAMBLIN’ SOUL – TRACK LIST
Ramblin’ Soul
Zen Buddha
Ain’t A Day Goes By
1980 Dodge Van
Texas, Texas, Texas
That’s My Only Regret
Boxers on Backwards
I Do What I WANNA
Hit Or Miss
I Don’t Need To Cry
Holding All The Cards
From What I Recall
Hanging On To You
ADVERTISE WITH LISTENING THROUGH THE LENS
More Music Adventures Await!
Melissa Carper New Release
***
September 10, 2022
Lovely song. Could become a classic. Has a voice a little like Iris Dement. I’ll look forward to listening to the full album.
September 11, 2022
Hi Keiran. It is a nice song, poignant too when she says she hasn’t been able to perform it live until recently as she found it too emotional