Vanessa Carlton Album Reviews

Vanessa Carlton is best known for the 2002 hit ‘A Thousand Miles’ and singing backing vocals on the Counting Crows’ cover of Joni Mitchell‘s ‘Big Yellow Taxi’. Her debut album Be Not Nobody was successful, but she’s struggled for sales ever since. But she’s making better music now than she did on her platinum-selling debut.

Introduction

Carlton was born in Milford, Pennsylvania. She was taught piano by her mother, a school music teacher. She started lessons after coming home from Disneyland at the age of two, and playing ‘It’s A Small World’ on the piano.

Carlton’s musical identity isn’t as unique as predecessors like Fiona Apple and Tori Amos. It’s easy for her to get lost in the shuffle of contemporary females at the piano, like Norah Jones and Alicia Keys. There’s nothing particularly distinctive about her elegant pop/rock, apart from a nasal tinge to her voice. But she’s a talented writer, and has plenty to offer besides ‘A Thousand Miles’.

Carlton currently balances relief teaching with her career as an indie-label musician. She’s also starred in the Carole King-based Broadway musical Beautiful. Bill Withers‘ ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’ is her favourite record, and she admires Rosalia.

Vanessa Carlton Album Reviews

Be Not Nobody

2002, 6/10
Vanessa Carlton is not the only artist to enjoy a successful debut album that’s not her finest work. And then watch her sales fall as her artistry grows. But it’s a pronounced case here. Carlton wrote the piano riff to ‘A Thousand Miles’ on her parents’ piano at the age of 18. Her mother told her it would be a hit. It was instrumental in getting her signed to a deal with A&M. Once signed, Carlton was disappointed by the lack of creative control she was offered, She’d be told things like “Every space on your record is real estate, Vanessa!”

It’s Carlton’s least interesting album, and she’d grow more interesting as she gained more control. Be Not Nobody is a slick, mainstream record, and while Carlton’s songwriting and vocals are still developing, her ear for a piano hook is the record’s biggest asset. ‘A Thousand Miles’ is the standout track. but the single ‘Ordinary Day’ is also worthy. There’s a cover of The Rolling Stones’ ‘Paint It Black’, more successful than you’d expect.

Carlton becoming a top-selling artist before she’d fully developed would ultimately hurt her career.

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Harmonium

2004, 7.5/10
Carlton’s second album sold poorly compared to Be Not Nobody, but artistically it’s a step forward. She originally planned to work with Daniel Lanois, with Nigel Godrich and Jason Falkner as co-producers. But instead she worked with her then-boyfriend Stephan Jenkins, lead singer of Third Eye Blind. It’s not a massive departure from her piano pop, but there’s a little more darkness and weirdness. Most importantly, she’s able to infuse more of herself into the record – it’s more personal, and all the more interesting for it.

It’s hard to get more personal than lead track and lead single ‘White Houses’. About Carlton losing her virginity, it’s bittersweet and vulnerable. Lindsey Buckingham, who was recording next door, guest on acoustic guitar. The song was censored by MTV, not helping the record’s performance.

There’s another cover of a rock standard. This time it’s U2’s ‘Where The Streets Have No Name’, with lovely piano from Carlton. ‘C’est La Vie’ has a little abrasive edge, like Fiona Apple. The upbeat pop/rock of ‘Private Radio’ isn’t as strong as ‘White Houses’, but it might have made for a better lead single, different stylistically from Carlton’s earlier work. It’s moodier and less hooky on tracks like ‘Annie’ and ‘Half A Week Before Winter’, but feels more substantial than her debut.

Harmonium is a strong second record from Carlton, despite a massive drop-off in sales.

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Heroes and Thieves

2007, 8.5/10
Incongruously, Carlton’s third album was released on Murder Inc. Records. The label’s better known for hip hop and R&B artists like Ja Rule and Ashanti. It’s perhaps her most energetic record, but it’s still an odd fit.

Stephan Jenkins is back producing, along with Linda Perry from 4 Non Blones. Stevie Nicks supplies backing vocals on ‘The One’. It only sold 75,000 copies in the states, but it was her best record yet, Carlton developing into a classy pop/rock artist.

There’s a strong opening with a pair of upbeat pop/rock songs. ‘Nolita Fairytale’ reflects Carlton settling down in the New York neighbourhood of Nolita. ‘Hands on Me’ was originally titled ‘Put Your Hands on Me’, but had to be shortened as Joss Stone had a song with the same name.

There’s also pretty mellow material. There’s a lovely piano line on the title track, while ‘Spring Street’ is gorgeous. The closer ‘More Than This’ is gently anthemic, the perfect closer to an accomplished album.

Again, Carlton didn’t receive much attention for Heroes and Thieves, but kept on making impressive music.

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Rabbits on the Run

2011, 8/10
If you remove Rabbits on the Run from Carlton’s discography, the rest of her records are in alphabetical order. She worked with English producer Steve Osborne, and recorded at Peter Gabriel’s Real World studios in Bath. She was also inspired by British authors. The title Rabbits on the Run was inspired by Watership Down and A Brief History of Time. She specifically enlisted My Morning Jacket drummer Patrick Hallahan for the project, and also used a children’s choir.

Just like its predecessor, it’s an accomplished yet overlooked pop/rock album. It’s a little lacking in energy compared to Heroes and Thieves – even the faster tracks like ‘Carousel’ and ‘Tall Tales for Spring’ feel a little restrained.

There’s an appealing mystical edge that wasn’t present on Carlton’s previous records. Songs like ‘Hear the Bells’ and ‘The Marching Line’ have a haunting quality. My favourite song, though, is the pop/rock of ‘I Don’t Want To Be A Bride’. It would have fit comfortably onto her earlier records, but it’s interesting for its personal lyric.

Rabbits on the Run is another strong record, adding a mystical tinge of Carlton’s music.

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Liberman

2015, 8/10
Carlton took a four-year gap between records before Liberman. Contrary to the wishes she expressed on ‘I Don’t Want To Be A Bride’, Carlton married and started a family. Despite the gap, Liberman is very much a sequel to Rabbits on the Run. Recorded in the same studio with the same producer, it’s even more pastoral, full of imagery taken from the natural. Carlton’s becoming more subtle with age. Nothing here sounds like a hit, but it’s well written and accomplished.

Even the song titles capture the feel of Wind in the Willows – there’s a song titled ‘River’ and another titled ‘Willows’. Even though Liberman is low key and mellow, there are still memorable tunes like ‘House of Seven Swords’ and ‘Willows’. Surprisingly for Carlton, some songs eschew piano, with Carlton accompanied by gentle guitars on ‘Matter of Time’ and ‘River’.

Liberman is lovely, Carlton’s music becoming even more subtle and graceful.

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Love Is An Art

2020, 7.5/10
For the first time since Harmonium, Carlton managed to stay on the same record label for two consecutive records. She wrote the songs with singer-songwriter Tristen Gaspadarek, who was Carlton’s neighbour in East Nashville. As the title implies, the songs focus on personal relationships. Gaspadarek also sings backing vocals.

She sent unsolicited demos to producer Dave Fridmann, better known for his work with quirky art-rock bands Mercury Rev and The Flaming Lips. For all of Carlton’s evolution from pop star to indie artist, Love is an Art represents the biggest change in her sound to date. Fridmann helps to furnish Carlton with a more sparse and atmospheric sound, much less centered on the piano. It can drag a little at times, but it successfully opens new stylistic ground for Carlton.

The second half is stronger than the first half, less languid and dreamy. In particular, ‘Future Pain’ taps into an art-rock sound that’s closer to The Flaming Lips than you might expect from Carlton. There’s a triumphant instrumental coda, built around a great piano riff from Carlton.

The arrangement’s more layered and atmospheric than before. But ‘The Only Way To Love’ is a great pop song with a memorable chorus that would have fitted onto Carlton’s previous records. The title track is pretty, but a little too glacial.

Love is an Art is a successful departure from Carlton’s earlier sound, but it’s her weakest album for quite a while.

10 Best Vanessa Carlton Songs

White Houses
I Don’t Want To Be A Bride
Nolita Fairytale
Future Pain
A Thousand Miles
The Only Way To Love
Willows
Spring Street
Hear the Bells
House of Seven Swords