About a decade ago singer/songwriter Chip Taylor found a young unknown fiddle playing girl named Carrie Rodriguez and now, with Rodriguez completely on her own, Taylor found (in Canada) another young fiddling protégé named Kendel Carson and after her 2007 release “Rearview Mirror Tears” she’s back with her latest release “Alright Dynamite.” Once again produced and mostly written by Chip Taylor (who could blame Kendel from wanting to record the legendary songwriters songs?), the record is 14 tracks of pure Alt.-country/rock. With a voice that is both youthful and rich, Kendel Carson rips into the fun and bluesy “Belt Buckle” and breaks into a full-fledged Emmylou-like ballad “Lady K.”
“Seven Shadows on my Golden Roses” has a Sheryl Crow vibe to it melodically and lyrically and showcases Carson’s award-winning fiddle work. “I Don’t Want To Be Your Mother” (listen here) is a soulful yet jazz and blues stomper that is lyrically sharp as Carson sings to a man who she wants to be with but not if he expects her to be a carbon copy of his mother. “Ten Lost Men” features a celtic-like melody that showcases Carson’s roots music background as a member of bands like Canada’s “The Paperboys” while “New Shoes” is a honky tonker that’s one of 4 songs Kendel co-wrote with her friend and producer (and label owner) Taylor. While 13 of these songs were written by the pair, one song on the record is a very interesting choice for a rootsy artist to cover as Janis Joplin’s “Mercedes Benz” is such an iconic piece of music that it’s really hard to make your own yet somehow, Taylor and Carson manage to make the song feel fresh and new, particularly when Kendal gives a massive fiddle-lead backbeat to the song. The album wraps-up with the excellent story ballad "Mexico."
While “Alright Dynamite” certainly isn’t an album for everybody, it really does sound like the work of an artist who has only brushed the surface of her artistry. It also finds her working with the perfect musical partner in Chip Taylor as he’s able to guide Kendel Carson through multiple genre sounds without ever sounding derivative, something that helps make “Alright Dynamite” a surprising and fresh set of tunes.
You can support Kendel Carson by purchasing this album at iTunes | Amazon.
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