MICHAEL
CARPENTER
Rolling Ball
(Not Lame)
www.notlame.com
Can
I boast a little? I actually had the distinct privilege of listening to these
songs in Carpenter’s Sydney suburban studio sometime in March, earlier this
year.
Back
then, two tracks clearly stood out – the poptastic “Emily Says” and the
gorgeous Crowded House-evoking “Good Enough” – as good as any pop songs
you’re likely to hear in 2004.
The
rest of the album never really matches these particular highs but Carpenter
maintains a consistently solid quality throughout this fine example of Aussie
pop-rock.
Longtime
admirers of Carpenter would recognize his somewhat trademark nods to the Beatles
by way of Elvis Costello smart pop of songs like “Rolling Ball,” “Let
Down,” “The Day Before” and by way of Tom Petty-Jeff Lynne-styled rustic
& earnest roots-rock of tunes like “Everyday,” “Nothing At All,”
“The Ache,” “You and Me” and “On My Mind.”
What
may take fans by surprise are Carpenter’s attempt to stretch his comfort zone
slightly with the darker toned “No One” – is that the Little River Band I
perceive, Michael?
And
yes, Carpenter is a really really nice guy. Which makes it that much easier to
state that Rolling Ball is unequivocally one of the best albums of the
year. A+