Some bands insist on dragging listeners into their world, but Carbon Leaf works
towards a more admirable and considerably more difficult goal – that of letting perfect
strangers feel that the band understands their world. The band succeeds in doing just
that -- and in creating a soundtrack suitable for multiple worlds -- on its third Vanguard
release, Nothing Rhymes With Woman.
“For me, this is an album that’s focused on growth and maturity, but it’s not
deadly serious,” says front man Barry Privett. “I wanted to examine my life and the lives
of my family and friends and do it with a little bit of a wink. The last thing I wanted to do
was get all dark and overwrought.”
Privett and his bandmates dodge that pitfall with aplomb on Nothing Rhymes
With Woman, the much-anticipated follow-up to the acclaimed 2006 offering Love, Loss,
Hope, Repeat. As ever, the quintet -- recently joined by drummer Jason Neal, a veteran
of the southeast’s club circuit, and Seattle bassist Jon Markel -- challenge themselves
and listeners by steadfastly refusing to retrace old steps, bringing in like-minded
collaborators (like Toby Lightman, who brings a burnished tone to her vocal parts on the
gritty “Meltdown”) and taking off in plenty of new directions of their own accord.
That sense of freshness, to hear Privett tell the tale, has a lot to do with the
relaxed nature of the disc’s recording, which took place in their Richmond, Virginia
backyard. “This time, we did something we hadn’t done in a long time, and that was to
just throw away the timeline altogether,” says the singer. “We waited until everyone
believed in every single song without any doubt or questions. It was a return to the days
of doing music for the sheer joy of just doing it.”
The joy he’s talking about proves contagious throughout the 13-song disc, both in
sonic touches like the soaring harmonies that buoy “Indecision” and the instantly-
relatable vibe of narratives like the nostalgic childhood flashback “X-Ray.” The tones are
certainly varied -- things get more than a little misty on “Pink,” a poignant tale of a
woman battling serious illness -- but they’re invariably free of artificiality. Every color
here is one that one can find in nature.
“A lot of the songs are about getting back to your roots,” says Privett, who
reckons the band gained a lot of traction by spending a considerable stretch of time
close to home, as opposed to its usual relentless touring slate. “You know, holding onto
the touchstones that keep you grounded in reality. They’re easy to lose sight of
sometimes, and often you need reminding. Fortunately, we have friends and family that
will do that in no uncertain terms.”
Nothing Rhymes With Woman finds the Virginia-based band firmly in touch with
its roots -- the Celtic tinge that cloaks “Pink” is reminiscent of Carbon Leaf’s passel of
self-released discs. Throughout the set, however, the quintet affirms a commitment to
moving forward, kicking out the jams a bit more aggressively on the sinewy walking
blues “Another Man’s Woman” and interpolating the rich organ playing of longtime Dave
Matthews Band keyboardist Butch Taylor on several tracks, including the arresting
opener “Indecision.”
“It’s always been really important to us to keep an organic feel to what we do,”
says Privett. “For us, recording this album was like a renewal, kind of like the coming of
spring. In a way, it’s very sensual, very sexual, gentle and mellow in spots, but also
acknowledges a fair share of optimism and a re-awakening to new possibilities.
In 2004, Vanguard released Carbon Leaf’s breakthrough disc, Indian Summer,
which earned rave reviews from sources like The Washington Post, which marveled at
Privett’s ability to “capture the emotional ache of a twenty-something as he watches his
friends scatter to the four corners of the world”. For the next year and a half, the quintet
would set about winning over audiences while on tour -- a recipe that helped "Life Less
Ordinary" and "What About Everything?” up the charts.
That winning streak continued with Love, Loss, Hope, Repeat, a darker
collection, recorded in Nashville, that showcased other facets of the Carbon Leaf sound
and rose to number-three on Billboard’s Top New Artists chart. “We definitely stretched
ourselves on that album,” says Privett. “It was unsettling in a way, but definitely helped
us find ourselves.”
Reunited with producer John Morand, who manned the board for Indian Summer,
Carbon Leaf takes the proverbial next step on Nothing Rhymes With Woman. The multi-
instrumental web woven by Carter Gravatt and Terry Clark provides a perfect backdrop
for Privett’s tenor, which hovers ethereally on “Lake of Silver Bells” and cuts with the
precision of a knife wielded by a master chef on the poignant “Miss Hollywood.”
“I think ’Miss Hollywood,’ like a lot of the album, has a kind of feminine energy,
which helps explain the title,” says Privett. “It’s that balance of strength and fragility, of
keeping dreams in check, but not forgetting where they came from. It’s a positive and
nurturing energy, and that’s the feeling we’d like people to come away with when they
listen to the album.”