''The Age of Miracles'' is the 11th studio album by American singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter, released on April 27, 2010 by

Zoë Records Zoë Records is an independent record label that is a part of the Rounder Records group. Zoë predominantly distributes albums by folk rock and alternative pop artists. Artists who have released albums on the label include Mary Chapin Carpenter ...

, her third album released under the Zoë label. Produced by Carpenter and

Matt Rollings Matt Rollings is a Grammy Award-winning American composer, keyboard player and record producer. Known mainly for playing in Lyle Lovett's Large Band, Rollings has worked with many artists, not all country. Matt won the 'Best Traditional Pop Voca ...

, the album peaked at No. 6 on '' Billboard's'' Country Albums chart and No. 28 on the ''Billboard'' 200.

Background and content

''The Age of Miracles'' consists of twelve tracks of new material, all of which were written solely by Mary Chapin Carpenter. In an interview, Carpenter explained the album's thematic significance. She commented that the album's title track reflects on

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

and its aftermath, while the album's seventh track ("Mrs. Hemingway") is about the first wife of author

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fic ...

. She also mentioned that the fifth track "4 June 1989" explains the Tiananmen Square Massacre and its remembrance by Chinese activist Chen Gueng. The album is generally considered to feature a mix of styles. Cody Miller of

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

found that ''The Age of Miracles'' contained mainly a mixture of "uptempo numbers and mournful ballads," and that the release was "classic MCC: sober, insightful, whimsical, and beautiful." However, in contrast, Jonathan Keefe of ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...

'' commented that the album's production never strays too far from the "pedestrian, coffeehouse blend of hushed acoustic strumming." The album reflects its country roots, with

Vince Gill Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter and musician. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman of the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s and as a solo artist b ...

and

Alison Krauss Alison Maria Krauss (born July 23, 1971) is an American bluegrass-country singer and musician. She entered the music industry at an early age, competing in local contests by the age of 8 and recording for the first time at 14. She signed with ...

performing background vocals on several songs. However, other tracks, such as the ninth song "What You Look For," sound "electric" according to ''Engine 145'' magazine. Thematically, tracks on ''The Age of Miracles'' sound more emotional, according to

, who described "The Way I Feel" as having "plenty of room to relive the frustration she displayed so measured and matured on “

Passionate Kisses "Passionate Kisses" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams. It was released in 1989 as the fourth single from her third album, ''Lucinda Williams'' (1988). The song was famously covered by Mary Chapin Car ...

”." In addition, the track "Iceland" uses metaphors to explain the song's thesis.

Critical reception

''The Age of Miracles'' mainly received positive reviews from music critics and magazines. On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, it has been given a score of 63 out of 100 based on 9 "generally favorable reviews". Mark Deming of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

gave the release four out of five stars, calling the album "literate and thoughtful." Deming later concluded "Mary Chapin Carpenter doesn't sound especially concerned with how much product she'll move on ''The Age of Miracles''; instead, she's made an album that speaks with honesty and clarity about the mysteries of love and fate, and she communicates well enough that it's hard to imagine anyone who has ever thought about the ways life can turn on a dime not being moved by the beauty of this music." Engine 145's Jim Caligiuri gave the album three and a half out of five stars, finding that the effort had a "distinct point of view" but was too outspoken and "Folksie." Caligiuri later concluded by saying "Hot young country, or whatever they’re calling it these days, it’s not – but those seeking something with meaning and artistry will find a lot to appreciate in ''The Age Of Miracles''." ''The Age of Miracles'' was also reviewed by Jonathan Keefe of ''

'', who only gave the album two out of five stars. Keefe found that although the album was inspired by current events, the material seemed to feel "dull" and "lifeless." Keefe explained his reasoning, saying "Carpenter's early albums balanced her folkier tendencies with inspired elements of contemporary country and pop. But on ''Miracles'', she and co-producer

rarely stray from a pedestrian, coffeehouse blend of hushed acoustic strumming. Songs like 'We Traveled So Far,' 'I Was a Bird,' and 'I Have a Need for Solitude' run together as though afraid to impose themselves, resulting in an album that seems a great deal longer than it really is." Finally, the album was reviewed by

' Cody Miller, who gave the release a six out of ten rating. Miller reported that "''The Age Of Miracles'' confirms once again (not that it was ever in question) that Carpenter is a strong songwriter and a seasoned singer. For every single

Sugarland Sugarland is an American country music duo founded in Atlanta, Georgia. The duo consists of singer-songwriters Jennifer Nettles (lead vocals) and Kristian Bush (vocals, guitar, mandolin). They were founded in 2002, at which point Kristen Hall (vo ...

, Lady Antebellum, or Swift rackup, Carpenter should be thanked."

Track listing

All songs composed by Mary Chapin Carpenter. # "We Traveled So Far" – 4:27 # "Zephyr" – 3:34 # "I Put My Ring Back On" – 2:45 #* featuring

# "Holding Up the Sky" – 4:48 # "4 June 1989" – 4:47 # "I Was a Bird" – 3:26 # "Mrs. Hemingway" – 5:59 # "I Have a Need for Solitude" – 3:43 # "What You Look For" – 4:08 # "Iceland" – 4:44 # "The Age of Miracles" – 4:32 # "The Way I Feel" – 3:19 Amazon exclusive bonus track #

"The Edge of the World" – 5:14 iTunes exclusive bonus track #

"This Is Home" – 5:35

Personnel

* Mary Chapin Carpenter –

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

* Eric Darken – percussion * Dan Dugmore –

12-string guitar A twelve-string guitar (or 12-string guitar) is a steel-string guitar with 12 strings in six courses, which produces a thicker, more ringing tone than a standard six-string guitar. Typically, the strings of the lower four courses are tuned in o ...

steel guitar A steel guitar ( haw, kīkākila) is any guitar played while moving a steel bar or similar hard object against plucked strings. The bar itself is called a "steel" and is the source of the name "steel guitar". The instrument differs from a conve ...

– background vocals (track 3) * Russ Kunkel –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

– background vocals *

Duke Levine Duke Levine (born November 29, 1961) is an American guitarist, known primarily for his rock and country music playing as a session musician. Levine was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. He has recorded and performed with Shawn Colv ...

–

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...

–

b-3 organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated s ...

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

Glenn Worf Glenn Worf is an American bassist known mainly for his work as a session musician. He has recorded with many major country music acts and also tours with Mark Knopfler. Early life and education Worf was born in Dayton, Ohio, and grew up in Madis ...

–

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

Chart positions

References

External links

Mary Chapin Carpenter's official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Age Of Miracles, The 2010 albums Mary Chapin Carpenter albums Zoë Records albums Albums produced by Matt Rollings