Home > Austin Music Source > Archives > 2008 > September > 20 > Entry
Carlene Carter’s second act
NASHVILLE. The irreverent wild child, who once did cartwheels in a mini-skirt at the end of shows, has pulled herself up from the depths of heroin addiction to reclaim her place in country music’s First Family. In a jubilantly-received set at the Country Music Hall of Fame museum store Friday, Carlene Carter proved that older and heavier is better than dead.
“All I ever wanted was to be a Carter girl,” she said introducing “Me and the Wildwood Rose,” the nostalgic number that received a full minute of applause when it was over. Even with the new “Stronger” album to push, the singer spent most of her 40 minutes on the tiny stage, backed by two guitar players, going back to those simple days as the granddaughter of Maybelle Carter and the daughter of June Carter Cash. Much of the oldish crowd of around 200 was there because of the Carter name and Carlene played up to them with an exaggerated drawl and corny asides about divorce, getting old and how Mother Maybelle drove like a bat out of hell. With a little refinement, this act could play at Branson.
Still, the show was a stirring return that was not short on emotion. Opening with the old number “Sweet Meant to Be,” 52-year-old Carter immediately showed that the voice is as strong, as buoyant as ever. “Break My Little Heart In Two” was the best of the new songs, though “Judgement Day,” written about losing longtime companion Howie Epstein to a drug overdose, proved most dramatic. “True love never dies,” Carter sang in a voice that threatened to break, “it just walks away.”
Because of her spunk and slinky good looks, you sometimes forgot just what a good songwriter Carter was, but when she sang “It Takes One To Know Me,” which she wrote at age 17, the talent was unmistakable. Yes, this act could excite the tour bus crowds, but it could also make magic at the Cactus Café.
The set was supposed to end with the rocker “Every Little Thing,” which harked back to her early ‘90s heyday, but at the behest of a nephew, Carter picked the Carter Family classic “Wildwood Flower” on her under-amplified guitar. At one point she forgot a verse, but the audience sang it for her until she was back on track. It was much more warmth than you’d expect in a souvenir shop, but Carlene Carter’s still got a bunch of it left to generate.
Thank God for that.
Follow Austin Music Source on Facebook and Twitter.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Austin in Nashville
Comments
When commenting, we ask that you keep things civil and abide by our Visitor Agreement. To report comment abuse, click here.
By Charlie
September 20, 2008 4:36 PM | Link to this
“In a jubilantly-received set at the Country Music Hall of Fame museum store Friday, Carlene Carter proved that older and heavier is better than dead.”
YOU WOULD KNOW, Corky. Nice to see you finally stayed for an entire set of someone’s work. Why do you always have to be such a bitter old bit*h?
Good luck finding a real job at 50+ when this paper folds-up. Let’s see those hip-hopper’s (who you desperately want to be one of) help you out.
Don’t hold your breath.