By Joshua Wallace

Carson McHone embodies the spirit of Americana.  She draws a lot from roots and country music, but there are still other influences present.  She doesn’t try to pigeonhole herself into any one genre and floats from the honky tonk sound to Dylan-esque folk and elsewhere on the spectrum with ease.  Let’s take a deeper dive into the sound of this record.

“Drugs” is a great ballad on this record that compares the need you can have for a lover with the need you can have for drugs.  I love the pedal steel that cloaks this track in a sadness that amplifies the intensity of the need. Contrast that with the faster more honky tonk inspired “Good Time Daddy Blues”.  I love the kind of call and response format of the verses here. It really gives the track a honky tonk blues kind of vibe.

I also really dig the country ballad “Gentle”.  This track is paired with an intro which kind of feels like the band is trying to find the track before it finally kicks in.  It’s a class country post break-up tune heavily draped in fiddle and pedal steel that is bound to break the heart of any one in their own neon cell.  “Goodluck Man” is slower ballad that starts out as a sparse guitar track and the rest of the band kicks in as the track goes on to reveal a slower almost mournful soundscape on a track that is on the mournful side of heartbreak.

I dig the tapestry of sounds Carson Mchone has put together here.  At times, it is very country, but it also delves into other influences to create a sound that is her own.  I hope to be able to see her live sometime down the road with this album. Carousel is out everywhere as of October 26th, 2018.

Favorite Tracks : Drugs, Good Time Daddy Blues, Gentle, Maybe They’re Just Really Good Friends, Goodluck Man

Carson McHone – Carousel (2018)

  1. Sad
  2. Drugs
  3. Lucky
  4. Good Time Daddy Blues
  5. Dram Shop Gal
  6. Intro [Gentle]
  7. Gentle
  8. Maybe They’re Just Really Good Friends
  9. How Bout’ It
  10. Goodluck Man
  11. Spider Song
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