CARRIE NEWCOMER - Before and After CARRIE NEWCOMER

Before and After

[Rounder]

In the acknowledgements for her 11th solo studio album, folk singer/songwriter Carrie Newcomer thanks several friends for passing down stories that inspired various songs. It’s just the first in a series of nods to folkloric tradition: These 13 original compositions also boast quietly uncomplicated arrangements and minimalist metaphors. This simplistic approach is occasionally twee, as when Newcomer borrows from nursery rhymes on “Hush” and “Coy Dogs.” But elsewhere the plainness proves transcendent, as on the deceptively deep “I Meant to Do My Work Today,” which begins as a lighthearted ode to procrastination and grows more introspective. Throughout, the most compelling moments are those in which Newcomer uses traditional techniques to convey more modern messages—for example, “If Not Now” employs the most basic of song structures in a contemporary call to action. Before and After, its title invoking both the past and the future, reminds us that the best music embraces both. –Katie Dodd

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