There’s normally a common thread, which runs throughout Mary Chapin Carpenter’s albums. But that’s not so for her 12th album, “Songs From the Movie.” The 10 tunes are revamped versions of songs from her prior releases, which is a refreshing new twist for the veteran bard.
“The albums I’ve made throughout my career have been like concept albums,” Carpenter said while calling from Westbury, N.Y. “My albums have always had songs that had those connections. It was good to do something different. It was a fascinating process, revisiting what I had recorded before and taking them to another place. It was a healthy exercise. A lot of recording artists revamp their songs when they tour. This was just taking it one step further. I knew “Time Stands Still” would be on this album. Then I just went on from there. But from there I think I made up a list of 40 or so songs.”
Venerable composer and arranger Vince Mendoza added his touch from there. The Norwalk native, who has worked with such lionized recording artists as Elvis Costello, Joni Mitchell and Bjork, helped turn a disparate bunch of MCC tunes into atmospheric, dreamy cuts.
Carpenter, 56, was taken aback by the impact Mendoza had on her songs. “It was incredibly emotional,” Carpenter said. “I didn’t expect that. It was an amazing thing to hear these songs in such a different way. I thought about why and how music hits you emotionally, how it tugs at your heart. Vince’s arrangements really hit me hard. I was really moved.”
The songs, which span much of Carpenter’s 27 years as a recording artist, are somehow cohesive and they have a cinematic feel, hence the album title.
The material was recorded in London’s AIR studio, a revamped church, with a 63-piece orchestra and a 15-member choir. “It was just an incredible experience,” Carpenter said. “I’m really proud of it.”
Carpenter, who will perform Saturday, Oct. 25, at Infinity Music Hall & Bistro in Hartford, has much to be proud of during a lengthy and enviable career. The Princeton, N.J., native, who emerged out of the Washington, D.C. folk scene during the mid-’80s, has quietly had one of the most consistent careers in the business.
The cerebral songsmith has a quadruple platinum album (1992’s “Come On Come On”), is the only artist to have won four consecutive Grammy Awards for Best Female Country Vocal Performance and was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012. The long list or plaudits only goes on from there.
“It’s been a wonderful career,” Carpenter said. “I’ve experienced so much. I’ve been very fortunate. But my career is in progress. I still have some things to accomplish. I’ve been re-energized by the process of making this album. I enjoyed making every part of it.”
That’s even down to the cover art, which is a gorgeous sunset photo from the The Spud Drive-In Theater in picturesque Driggs, Idaho.
“The cover art is still part of the package with my albums,” Carpenter said. “I’m pretty pleased right now.”
MARY CHAPIN CARPENTER appears Saturday at Infinity Music Hall & Bistro, 32 Front St., Hartford. Tift Merritt will open. Tickets are $79 and $109. Show time is 8 p.m. For more information, call 860-560-7757 or visit www.infinityhall.com
