Vanessa Carlton’s new album opens promisingly. Smooth synthesizers and modern production lead her in, hinting at a potential for the catchy, simplistic singer-songwriter to become something more. Is this Carlton’s big return to the music spotlight? Has she grown as a musician after all these years to break out of the confines of the dreaded one-hit-wonder cage?
Unfortunately, it takes about a minute and a half for those far-reaching hopes to simmer down. Carlton’s new album “Liberman” relinquishes its potential through its basic four-chord song structures and unimaginative lyrics. While the actual timbre of her fifth full-length record is new and refreshing, the musical content itself is not enough to revive any real excitement for artist famous for “A Thousand Miles.”
For instance, the album’s opening song “Take It Easy” begins with vague lyrics that one would expect from a beginner songwriter that doesn’t have much to say — not from a seasoned musician who has been putting out albums for nearly 15 years: “I’m old enough to know, too young to let it go / connected to one million stars and lights.”
While it’s not essential to have intensely potent lyrics for a song to be worth listening to, it is necessary to have some redeeming quality. Even Carlton’s older songs, such as “White Houses” and “Ordinary Day,” make up for their tacky lyrics with undeniably catchy piano riffs and vocal melodies.
But that foot-tapping quality of her older music seems to be lost in “Liberman.” A dull haze glosses over the ten songs instead, and the light, bouncing piano parts that characterize much of her work just aren’t like they used to be.
“Liberman” isn’t actually bad. The album has its strengths, with the airy beauty of “House Of Seven Swords” and the folk-like appeal of “Matter Of Time” being a few noteworthy examples. “Blue Pool” and “Unlock The Lock” feature classic Carlton piano riffs whose familiarity the listener can latch on to. It just doesn’t carry enough force to be considered groundbreaking in any regard.
As harsh as it sounds, the world is not going to start paying attention to Vanessa Carlton again unless she makes something that no one else could make. And “Liberman” is not that.
The album gives off an unusual cycle of progressions to the listener. At first, it’s exciting because of how new it sounds. As song after song comes on, though, the listener notices a redundancy in tonality, and the new feeling wears off. But after listening to the album a few times, one can almost put the redundant tone behind them and appreciate the album as the soft, bubbly piece that it’s supposed to be.
In her interview with Entertainment Weekly, Carlton cites one of her grandfather’s paintings that hangs in her home as a main source of inspiration for “Liberman.” Her songs are meant to mirror the tranquil, nostalgic quality of a family member’s oil painting — not the extraordinary value of some postmodernist trendsetter, or anything of the like.
Carlton also emphasized her personal growth that influenced this album in her interview.
“I’ve finally gone through enough of a chunk of time to begin reflection,” she said, most likely referencing her recent marriage to Deer Tick frontman John McCauley and her 10-month-old child.
But if Carlton has matured, her music hasn’t — at least, not in any outstanding way. But that’s okay. “Liberman” might not be groundbreaking or trendsetting. It might be an entirely expectable continuation of the rest of her equally expectable discography. This doesn’t mean it’s not worth listening to, but it also doesn’t qualify it for any extraordinary praise.
The album goes by quickly, each song sure not to overstay it’s welcome over more than roughly two and a half minutes. By the end, Carlton has said all she wants to say. It’s not much, but it’s worth hearing.