I saw Vanessa Carlton in concert last year and she played some new music she was working on. So I’ve anxiously been waiting the release of her new album, Liberman, to see how the songs sound recorded. I’m glad it came out in October because I have tickets to see her again in December and would like to be more familiar with the music. In my gay opinion, she’s a great performer who’s talent exceeds just her voice, it also seeps into the piano she plays and the balladry she writes.
Liberman is like two albums in one. The first 10 songs are recorded with Vanessa’s echoey vocal floating on top of multiple instruments. That in itself would be a great album but then she adds stripped down versions of 8 of the songs with just her and her piano that she calls the Living Room Sessions. It’s like visiting her at home and getting a personal concert.
First I fell in love with the full recorded versions of “Willows”, “House Of Seven Swords” and “Operator”. Then I heard the reworked Living Room versions of “Take It Easy”, “Blue Pool”, “Nothing Where Something Used To Be”, and “River” which I loved just as much. No matter what style of Vanessa you prefer, on Liberman, there’s something for everyone.
Before I heard the album, I was concerned that after having a child, Vanessa might lose her edge. Some of my favorite divas went soft after having kids…coming out with children’s albums. But my fears were unwarranted with Vanessa, she’s just as emotionally honest as always, and thankfully so. I’m also thankful that she’s able to balance being a mom and being an artist who continues to tour. It just makes me look forward to her show in December even more.
