1 Before and After
2 Ghost Train
3 I Do Not Know Its Name
4 Stones in the River
5 If Not Now
6 A Small Flashlight
7 I Meant to Do My Work Today
8 A Simple Change of Heart
9 Hush
10 Coy Dogs
11 Do No Harm
12 I Wish I May I Wish I Might
13 A Crash of Rhinoceros

From Amazon.com

While very good, not her best.

 Album Rating: (4 of 5 stars)

Review Comments: With The Geography of Light my favorite CD release of 2008, I was really looking forward to Before and After. While I'm certainly not disappointed, but neither am I blown away.

There are some excellent songs on this CD. Carrie Newcomer's voice is strong and clear, and her lyrics are relevant to life in the real world with all its joys and sorrows, wonders and miracles. The instrumentation is exceptional, and I really enjoy that the arrangements make sophisticated use of strings and piano in new (for her) ways. If there are weak songs in the collection, they are probably (in my opinion), "Hush" and "I Wish I May, I Wish I Might." Still, these aren't exactly bad, just a bit bland and canned.) Some of the songs I did not take to immediately - "Ghost Train" and "If Not Now" - grew on my in subsequent listenings. I can't say I dislike any song on the CD.

So why not give it five stars? I'm not sure. I think it is because so many of the songs are similar in tone and tempo that they start to sound the same in the middle of the collection. Any single song is wonderfully crafted, but when listened to all together (which I tend to do), they become (dare I say it?) boring somewhere in the middle of the collection until "Do No Harm" once again demands you listen closely to the story. I think if there had been a bit more tempo change-up in the middle five or six selections, I'd be able to give it five stars.

Compared to the other Newcomer CDs I own, Before and After is very good and has several strong songs, but it is not the best collecton overall. My suggestion to someone buying their first Carrie Newcomer recording to consider first Regulars and Refugees or The Geography of Light.

Creative, loved it!

 Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)

Review Comments: This is a beautiful CD, with original songs by Carrie. She's amazing! So creative and with a wonderful voice for the type of music she does. Enjoy!

carrie is on a mission.

 Album Rating: (3 of 5 stars)

Review Comments: Carrie is doing more than just sharing her music with the public and fans so while her new recording is not her best work,she is worth seeing LIVE when you can.

Classic Carrie

 Album Rating: (4 of 5 stars)

Review Comments: I am a Carrie Newcomer fan. That's the way most of us put it, just matter-of-factly. I have been to her album release concerts, end of tour shows, free summer concerts in the park, and all manner of in-betweens, and never have I been disappointed with Carrie's music or performances. Being a Midwesterner, though, I can't quite put 5 stars on this album, much the same as a perfectly ripe tomato straight from the vine or a grilled cheese sandwich on a Saturday while watching the first snow of the season will never be more than "not bad."

This album first landed in my CD player while I was driving in central Texas. The first track set the tone with a powerful, deep anthem of living benchmarking what could be expected. Subsequent tracks lightened up a bit and merged into the passing miles, some to my liking, some stylistically not quite what I usually look for, and then "Do No Harm" jerked me back to the lyrics as effectively as the rumble strip on the edge of the road could have done, immediately bringing to mind and deepening the images developed from "Fruit" on Wilderness Plots. This was followed by "I Wish I May I Wish I Might" which, while perhaps mysterious to those who have not spent a fair amount of time in Indiana, nearly saw me turning the car homeward.

In summary, I have never come across a bad Carrie Newcomer recording, and this adds to that experience. To someone new to her music, this provides a good starting point for further exploration; there are light and humorous tracks mixed with deep and powerful ones and a few midweights in between. Other albums tend to lean more in one direction or another, this is a classic and balanced Carrie collection highlighting the best of what she brings to recorded music.

Album Of The Year

 Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)

Review Comments: Before & After continues the high standard of music and words I've come to expect from one of my favourite singer-songwriters of recent years. It will get a lot of airplay on my hospital radio show. Carrie Newcomer is a genius when it comes to writing meaningful and powerful songs. She also has a unique talent in setting those songs to the most beautiful music. It will be hard to beat this for my Album of the Year - and we're only in March. Francis Klonowski