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'Edie Carey’s first major asset is her voice – a full, expressive instrument with the gentility of Suzanne Vega and the soft punch of Rickie Lee Jones. Her next strength is her lyrics, which speak directly to the anxieties of interpersonal relationships (as on “If I Start to Cry,” where she sings “I got so much to ask you / It’s never the time / Why would I spoil a perfect evening? / We’ve gotten this far on being polite”). And on Carey’s fourth album When I Was Made she adds a wonderful sound, crafted by her producers “The A Team,” who frame the singer-songwriters skills in a warm, rootsy mix, reminiscent of country-tinged chanteuses like Bonnie Raitt and Lucinda Williams (if not as rough as the latter). The result is a lovely, shimmering, heart-felt record, highlighted by springy ballads like “Open Wide” and “Chemistry,” both of which, in tone and content, deal poignantly with the imperfections of romance.
'~ Performing Songwriter, March/April 2004 'Where have you gone, Shawn Colvin? At recent shows, the former cutting-edge folkie displayed a certain paucity of repertoire. While waiting for the muse to drop in on the Colvin home again, her fans should give a listen to Edie Carey. The New Englander learned Colvin’s songs, among others, while living in Italy at the start of her career. Now she’s writing the same sort of ebullient, intelligent songs as her heroes and singing them in the same urgent, slightly breathy alto. When I Was Made, Carey’s fourth album, takes creation as its theme; there’s even a song inspired by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (“Chemistry”). Bare of self-pity and full of down-to-earth revelation, When I Was Made is a little country, a little adult-contemporary, and a lot of fine music.
'~ HARP Magazine, February/March 2004 'Edie Carey is gifted with one of those voices that could sound great singing anything. So the mystery and beauty on her second studio full-length is how she maintains an intimate, delicate approach on her elegant, if low-key singer/songwriter folk-pop. Economic instrumentation forces all your attention toward the gentle storytelling, rich with humanity and insight. In “Compromise (Be a Poet About It)” she finds strength in meeting halfway, while on “If I Start to Cry” she admits she “may not stop.” Vulnerable and pleasing, Carey draws us into her world, where we find we have a lot in common.
'~ Paste Magazine, Issue 8 |
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