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Maverick
By
Caroline Dale-Risk
October
2002
Probably best summed up as pop influenced contemporary folk, The
Distance Wall opens with country-rock. Blacktop is a breezy
road song, and while this is a well enough worn path, it bowls along
with an irresistible, easy charm. Blues feature in the song
that follows, the edgy Thin Line, whereas the third, Beach Town, has
a distinctly Latin groove. Like the opener, it has a positive
summery feel. Elswhere sunshine crops up in imagery, such as in
the dreamy Sunrise In Your Eyes. By way of contrast the title
track tackles the troughs that can occur in a long-term
relationship...the lyrics are a cut above average. Despite the
subject it, too, is fairly upbeat but Colvin can do sad songs, the
best of these being the slow, pensive Fragile Hearts, a song filled
with loneliness and longing.
Splendid
By
Justin Kownacki
August
26, 2002
Carey Colvin is a folk singer. She's a little country, a
little rock, a little Celtic and a little Cuban all at
once...forsaking spiffy studio effects in favor of rootsy rock and
real instruments, Colvin fashions an album Lucinda Williams would
have been proud of..."Guru Blues" and "Soft Side of
Me" stretch the boundaries from wistful reminiscence to smoky
seduction. Where Colvin goes from here will not depend upon her
voice, which shifts beautifully from upbeat and encouraging on
"Thin Line" to hushed and coaxing on "Fragile
Hearts". Simply put, she can hit a note without batting an
eye, something nine tenths of the coffee shop set would sell their
tambourines for.
RootsTown
Music Magazine
Fall
2001 (Courtesy
of Rootstown Music Magazine, Belgium)
The songs stay in the middle between country, rock and folk music
with serious pop influences (several of them are according to my
view, potential hits) and they have always an excellent accompaniment
included which gives every type of listener more magic secrets.
Carey has a very beautiful voice that knows how to give volume as
she rocks (and she loves to do this), but it made us also
quiet, and become very small from the slow, intimate songs such
as Guru Blues and above all Fragile Hearts. This is an
extremely good debut of, according to my opinion, this coming talent.
(Dutch-to-English
translation by Dolf van Stijgeren and Hank Kratsman)
Dirty
Linen Magazine
August/September
2001, #95 (Courtesy
of Dirty
Linen Magazine)
Give D.C.'s Carey Colvin credit for guts and eclectisicm; her maiden
outing comprises all original songs (or collaborations), and she
shows a nice range. Colvin's strength is with country-flavored
pop...the standouts here are the opener, "Blacktop," and
the title track, both of which have a lot of Nashville-ready
confidence and display Colvin's strong alto to great effect. If
she stays to this path, buyers of The
Distance Wall
will be able to say they knew her before she knocked Faith Hill off
the charts.
The
Journal
By
Lou King
February
23, 2001 (Courtesy
of The
Journal)
On a good day, Carey Colvin is plenty busy riding herd over her kids
to have time to worry about anything else, thank you very much.
But [she] is hardly the stereotypical soccer mom.
She's a singer and a songwriter, who, despite the demands of family
life, has been chasing her muse her entire adult life. Colvin,
who's been a fixture on the local music scene since she started
"hitting the open mics" in 1984, received a rather large
measure of validation when her recently released album "The
Distance Wall" was named co-Debut Recording of the year by the
Washington Area Music Association. (Pal Janine Wilson's
"The Blue Album" shared the honor with Colvin.)
Despite the demanding schedule, Colvin was successful in making a
fabulous-sounding record. "The Distance Wall"
features a varied mix of styles and sounds, from radio-friendly
country-rockers like "Blacktop," to the Dead-like shuffle
of "Refugee" and the brooding intimacy of "Fragile Hearts."
As an old local hand, Colvin was also able to capitalize on the many
musical friendships she's made over the years. In fact, guests
like Tom Prasada-Rao and Mary Chapin Carpenter sideman John Jennings
(whom Colvin referred to as the "guitar melting man")
helped shape the recording process.
"When I write a song, I hear a complete song in my head,"
Colvin said. "The hardest task is translating that into
the real world. We actually had a lot of those songs arranged
and charted before we went into the studio. But, once you write
a song, it takes on a life of its own."
One of those instances is found in the shuffling and funky "I
Would Give Anything," which is punctuated by Prasada-Rao's
effervescent mandolin.
"Tom wasn't even going to be on that song," Colvin
said. "He just happened to be fooling around with it in
the studio, and we thought it sounded perfect. It just came
together so beautifully."
Weekender,
Times Community Newspapers
By
Kristie Little
February
21, 2001 (Courtesy
of Times
Community Newspapers)
Carey Colvin...released her debut album, The Distance Wall, in May
2000. She offers an exciting mix of pop, rock, contemporary and
folk that leaves you feeling as if you just finished an inspiring
summer car trip to somewhere unknown. Her music really is "stuff
you like."
Her album recently won the 2000 Wammie Award, Washington Area Music
Award [Association], for Debut Recording of the Year.
Colvin's music is fun and inspirational. Her album, "The
Distance Wall," is an amazing adventure. Pop it in your
car stereo and enjoy the ride.
Music
Monthly
By
Karen Liebowitz
February
2001, Vol. 18, No. 2, Issue #197 (Courtesy
of Music
Monthly)
The last name looks very familiar to music fans, but Carey isn't
related to Shawn, at least no claim that she's admitting to. But the
two ladies do share a common interest in melodic tunes that have an
ability to really say something about relationships. And like
the Grammy winner, Carey also picks very gifted musicians to conjure
up her visions of love. All these elements fall into place to
make The Distance Wall a journey to relish.
Speaking of trips, the first tune, "Blacktop," refers to
an adventure out on the road. Traveling along with the wind
blowing in her hair, Carey sings about the joys of hitting the gravel
to a sprightly country-rock rhythm. Accompanying her on her
discovery is Mary Chapin Carpenter's guitarist John Jennings who
contributes wonderful licks here that help propel the song
along. It's also nice to hear about taking a road trip from the
female's point of view!
The CD shifts gears with "Beach Town," a wistful ode to
life spent where the waters are green. The sand is white, and
romance gets started and discarded at a moment's notice. It
definitely puts you in a tropical mood!
"Soft Side Of Me" [is] a declaration of tenderness towards
her loved one. A violin carries the melody, occasionally
swooping in and out like a bird in flight, soaring ever higher.
That plus Carey's understated vocals make this tune a beautiful
affirmation of love.
It does help to have great musicians to back up these melodies, and
there is some really exemplary playing, particularly in the licks of
guitarist Doug Rainoff. But credit goes to Carey Colvin
herself, for creating the catchy songs, and singing them in a very
winning manner.
Having a famous last name can help draw listeners but keeping them
there is something only talent will do. Carey need not worry in
that respect!
The
Washington Post
By
Mike Joyce
January
26, 2001 (Courtesy
of The
Washington Post)
Singer-songwriter Carey Colvin is nominated for four Wammie awards
this year, which is perhaps reason enough to check out her debut CD,
"The Distance Wall." Those who do will find it well worth
their time, since Colvin has fashioned a series of thoughtful,
tuneful songs that invite repeat spins.
Although the album opens with a "road song," an overworked
theme if there ever was one, it isn't long before Colvin wins us over
with her own perspective of "sweet solitude and somewhere to
go." From there, she goes on to create a series of similarly
well-drawn vignettes in which her characters struggle with choices
and risks, love and fear, memories and yearning. The album's title
track, which skillfully evokes a love affair's chilly aftermath,
deserves top billing, but "Fragile Hearts" and other songs
here also reveal Colvin's gift for writing about relationships with a
refreshing mixture of intelligence and craft.
Here
and There
By
Michael Franklin
October
4, 2000, Vol. 3, No. 14 (Courtesy
of Michael Franklin)
A beautiful debut by Carey Colvin brings to mind another Colvin,
Shawn, in the strength and poise Carey writes and sings her
songs. Carey's voice is strong and upbeat and it makes for a
fun listening experience. I think for me what makes this album
work is the fact that Carey is a mom and she sings with that one of a
kind passion only mothers have. Every song on this CD is a
winner which is extremely rare in any release, be it major label act
or an indie. |
