Caught in the Carousel

Carolyn Mark and N.Q. Arbuckle

Let's Just Stay Here
Mint Records

Carolyn Mark and N.Q. Arbuckle

Carolyn Mark is 100% cool Canadian. She's got a great sexy, lazy, " Yeah, I've been there" kind of voice. And I think she has been there. She was one of the original Corn Sisters along with the amazing Neko Case. Plus, she's been in countless other bands ranging from punk to surf to alt. (Yeah, alternative). You sort of get the feeling that she's had to wrestle with more than one bar manager for her share of the door over the years. Her sound isn't manufactured or polished, it's completely genuine and this album is full of the kind of observations someone can only make when they've been on the road too long.

N.Q Arbuckle (relation to Fatty? I dunno), an alternative country band (again with the alt.), do a lot of heavy lifting on the CD. Their vocals compliment a lot of these tunes and I noticed that they mixed it too and play some great guitar. They also co-wrote or wrote several of the songs, so, overall, handy guys to have around. (Bet they can't cook.)

As for the tunes, there really isn't a stinker on this CD so no need to cherry pick. You can put it on and head for Bakersfield. The first cut, "All Time Low" is a nice start: "You can't get dinner in Reno/In a place that ain't a casino."

Other standouts are "Officer Down" which features Neville Quinlan of NQ Arbuckle on lead vocals. I think he's talking about someone named Jen...maybe. I Like "Saskatoon Tonight" too. "Canada Day/Toronto" rocks more than the rest of the album, even venturing into pop territory, but Mark makes the line "While everyone gets hosed" sound so damn pretty.

Overall, the instrumentation and arrangements are thoughtful and lush and, in places, it's twang with a level of sophistication you rarely experience in country music—umm, Alt. Country, that is.

Oh, and how can you not love the severed heads on the CD cover?

—The Vinyl Princess
www.thevinylprincess.com