Mary Chapin Carpenter - Party Doll and Other Favorites

In addition to subverting the conventions of greatest-hits discs--only 5 of these 17 tracks appear in the hit versions from Carpenter's studio albums--Party Doll does a better job of balancing the singer/songwriter's moods than any of her releases since 1992's Come On Come On. Here, upbeat celebrations such as "Down at the Twist and Shout" (included in a live Super Bowl take) and "I Feel Lucky" comfortably rub shoulders with the quietly sweet ("Dreamland," originally on an early-'90s various-artists set of lullabies) and brooding ("Stones in the Road") sides of Carpenter's work. Finally, her rendition of Mick Jagger's title tune hints that she has vital work yet to do. --Rickey Wright Amazon.com essential recording

Receipt and content

I was very pleased with the service I received and the music is very good. May 12, 2007

Nice CD

Good quality and many of the songs I have heared on the radio. March 13, 2007

"for sentimental reasons"

"This Shirt" - the mere lyrical content to this song can bring tears to my eyes - that's how good it is!

10,000 miles - quite simply "beautiful" - the ultimate song. September 7, 2005

Fabulous songs, great artist and singer. A great listen.

The songs on this album range from down-home country (Shut Up and Kiss Me, I Feel Lucky) to introspective folky (Stones in the Road)to just plain good-time toe-tapping fun (Down at the Twist and Shout). My personal favorite is the lush and gorgeous 10,000 miles, a long, generous and heartfelt wave of emotion set to music. It is truly a masterwork, the kind of recording that only a very few of the most gifted artists could ever construct. This song alone puts Mary Chapin Carpenter into the elite league of All-Time Greats, be it folk or country. But there's much more! Ms Carpenter is not content to be a fabulous singer and songwriter; she's obviously compelled by a powerful innerspring of talent and humanity to new horizons of discovery for her -- and, because she is so perceptive and talented -- for us. This ain't cookie-cutter music, folks. This is the REAL thing. For anyone who's tired of playlists and me-too musicians, Mary Chapin Carpenter is a gust of the highly-charged clear breeze that follows a thunderstorm and lights up your lungs, eyes and heart -- and has echoes of the storm that preceded it. Are there gripes about this music? Only if you don't like emotion, feeling and involvement. This is class A-plus music top to bottom, from an A-class artist. Party Doll was my first CD from this brilliant musician, but I'm rapidly buying the rest of her collection, and haven't been disappointed yet. I doubt that you'll be either. Love you, Mary. October 20, 2004

A good value, and a great place to start

I was only casually aquainted with Mary Chapin Carpenter's music before picking up this album. The hits I knew were all here, and so was a lot more material I have come to love as well. I was a bit leery that "Down at the Twist and Shout" was a live version from the Super Bowl; this song was the primary reason I wanted a MCC album, and I was concerned a live version recorded in a stadium during the Super Bowl might be of inferior recording quality. But I needn't have worried, the sound is great, and the performance is energetic and fun, with a verse in Creole thrown in for good measure. "This Shirt" is probably my favorite track I was unfamiliar with, but the entire album is quality; there are very few 17-track albums by any artist where I can say I enjoyed every song. I now look forward to exploring her original albums. I highly recommend this album to anyone looking for an introduction to this great artist. March 20, 2004

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