NOT FOUND ON AMAZON

PRODUCED BY BILL TRAVERS; 2014, 46 MINUTES, $15.00,

CONTACT Larry Carpenter THROUGH FACEBOOK:

REVIEW BY KAREN LARSON
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA

The words of a song are spinning through my head as I write this. Songs often get stuck in there playing endlessly. When it’s a song I really enjoy, such as this one, it’s a lovely idiosyncrasy. “In the land of the silver birch, cry of the loon, there’s something about this country — it’s a part of me and you.” (Woodsmoke and Oranges by Ian Tamblyn.)

These are the words in the refrain of the opening song on Larry Carpenter’s second CD, released in early 2014. Titled Old Voice, the CD takes its name not from the fact that Larry’s hair and beard have grown white but rather from an Ian Tamblyn song of that name that Larry hears talking about the agelessness of the glaciers and snowfields. Larry, an accomplished folk singer, presents 13 of his favorite folk tunes on Old Voice from artists such as Tamblyn, Buddy Mondlock, Kate Wolf, and Stan Rogers.

The songs he likes to sing and play revolve around maritime history, the beauty of the northern shore and the high latitudes, and love stories. In January, Good Old Boat sponsored Larry as a presenter at the Chicago Strictly Sail show. In his presentations he told of the beauty of Lake Superior, a drama on Great Slave Lake, and the loss of the fishery in the Canadian Maritimes, with scenic stills and videos taken during his cruises in most of these areas. In addition, Larry sang many of the songs on this new CD. The presentation helped listeners understand the background behind the lyrics penned by Stan Rogers and others.

Larry’s first CD, Across the Water, released in 2012, is just as good as this one. If you’re a sailor, wanderer, or folk singer, you’ll be impressed with his selection of songs, the accompaniment by Larry’s wife, Judy Taylor, on flute, and also by Bill Travers and John Wright on acoustic and bass guitar. This time Larry has increased the participation by Laura Moe, whose vocals are haunting and lovely. The two CDs make a great set.

I’m partial to the song of a woman who escaped death in a shipwreck on the Great Slave Lake (fortunately for her she had an angel on her shoulder), Not This Time by Amanda Rheaume; Waylon Jenning’s Freedom to Stay; and Stan Rogers’ Make and Break Harbor.

But if I’m really lucky the refrain from The Birds, the last song on the CD, and another one by Tamblyn, will stay with me for the rest of the day. The images evoked of a cliffside rookery and the flight of thousands of birds makes this a powerful piece. It is further enhanced by the wonderful voices of Larry Carpenter and Laura Moe.

Old Voice is now available at CD Baby as either a physical disk or by download: . Or you can get them directly from Larry.