Tanglewood Tree Music

From the first, "Happytown" will hook you in and get your feet tapping and your head bobbing and, before you know it, you'll find your mouth trying to sing along to the deceptively simple melody but you'll find that you're having a hard time keeping up with the exquisitely complex lyrics--one of Dave Carter's most masterful songwriting traits. The guy sure fit a lot of multi-syllabic words into his songs and yet, they're so right, so absolutely right, it's almost otherworldly how he artfully transformed language into sheer, unveiled, spiritual expression. Yet it takes a few listens to really hear the words, because the melodies will distract you--in a very good way.

The title cut, "Tanglewood Tree" is one of my favorite songs ever written. This was a prime demonstration of Dave and Tracy's creative ambition--weaving together lyrics, overlapping melodies and layering really fine instrumentals to produce a song that fits so perfectly in every way you will think you already know the song the first time you hear it. And yet, it's nothing like anything you've hear before; there's nothing predictable about it, but it rings true and feels familiar nonetheless.

Joan Baez now performs "The Mountain" at her concerts and does a fine job, but I haven't heard anything that matches the sheer beauty of the original, sung by Tracy (it's the first time we hear Tracy sing lead--she sung only backup on their first album, "When I Go") and featuring a delicate, yet deeply colored instrumental arrangement. Every time I hear the song, I think of the rings which roll over water. "The Mountain" is about searching for meaning, for truth in spirituality. You may find that it lingers, floating along the air long after the song is over.

The rare thing about Tanglewood Tree is that there are simply no bad songs on it. You can listen to the entire album and, although there are some standout beauties, the music just flows easily from one track to the next. This cd has never been out of heavy rotation in my musical repertoire since I bought it in 2000. I'm pretty darn sure you'll find it hard to put away, too.

i've listened to all 3 of their albums extensively, and while my absolute favorite songs of theirs are on the other albums, i think 'tanglewood' is their most consistent effort taken as a whole. it would be my recommendation for someone who's looking for the best representative sample of their capabilities. i can't say enough good things about this duo. what a tragedy that they're no longer together.