Melissa Carper’s new album, Ramblin’ Soul, is a breath of fresh mountain air and will put you right there in a country honkytonk back porch, smelling the breeze while listening to music perfect for that setting. Produced by Andrea Tokic and Dennis Crouch, this one has smooth mountaintop country strings to match Carper’s twangy vocals all the way through.
“Ramblin’ Soul” tells it like it is, and you can feel the free spirit of the flapper days with the piano. “Zen Buddha” is a high stepping number to keep the crowd kicking up their high heeled boots — where you can picture the band with a wooden floor wide open country bar setting and plain folks enjoying it thoroughly.
“1980 Dodge Van” was her very first car, and the song highlights Carper’s vocals with a little twang and fun. “That’s My Only Regret” is an old time waltz with Dennis Crouch on tic-tac bass and Melissa’s only regret was that she was mean when they parted.
Sierra Ferrell chimes in on vocal harmonies on “From What I Recall” and you can hear almost the old victrola crackling, with crooning vocals and gentle fluid fiddle, steel guitar and clarinet, and, well, his mama never liked her anyhow.
Ramblin’ Soul was engineered and mixed by Andrija Tokic at The Bomb Shelter, Nashville; produced by Dennis Crouch and Andrija Tokic; and mastered by John Baldwin of Infrasonic Sound.
Musicians on the album are Dennis Crouch on bass, tic-tac bass and 2nd rhythm guitar; Chris Scruggs on guitars and steel guitar; Matty Meyer on drums and percussion; John Pahmer on piano and organ; Billy Contreras on fiddle; Rory Hoffman on nylon string guitar, piano and clarinet; Wes Langlois on rhythm guitars. Kyshona Armstrong, Nickie Conley, Maureen Murphy, Larry Marrs and
Sierra Ferrell on backing vocals. Melissa Carper sings lead vocals.
Find more information here: https://melissacarper.bandcamp.com/album/ramblin-soul
All songs were written by Melissa Carper (Sheila Mae Publishing, BMI), except “I Do What I WANNA'” by Gina Gallina & Melissa Carper; “Hanging on to You” by Brennen Leigh (Alrighty Den Music Publishing, BMI); and “Hit or Miss” by Odetta Gordon (Pookie Tree Music Publishing, ASCAP)
Album photography is by Lyza Renee, with album design by Connie Collingsworth of Ridin’ High Productions.