Kasey Chambers, one of Australia's leading country artists, strays from her roots at the beginning of her latest endeavor. Carnival is an eclectic mix of pop and rock 'n' roll that exhibits a sharp contrast to her three previously released country albums.
The four songs at the beginning of the CD are flowery and rather enchanting when separated from the rest of the songs. The songs seem to be slightly unorganized and fluffy; unfortunately, they do not do justice to Chambers' soulful voice.
The title song Colour of a Carnival has depressing lyrics, which express regret about the way things could have been if a guy had not left her. However, Colour of a Carnival is set to an upbeat tempo with a tune truly resembling carnival music. The lyrics and the music simply do not fit together.
The CD continues in this fashion until track five. In Hard Road
a duet with fellow Aussie Bernard Fanning, the tempo slows ever so slightly and gives the audience a true sense of what type of music Chambers is capable of singing.
One line in the song, God save my soul/It's a hard road is highlighted by the eerie sounds of a harmonica. The result is a dark, emotional tune that makes the hairs on a person's neck tingle.
From here, the CD swings sharply back in the right direction of Chambers' country roots. As the track numbers increase, the tempo and the ornate-sounding music seem to decrease as well, which is definitely a positive change.
The most gripping song on the album is Dangerous a slow ballad about emotions that bubble to the surface after a relationship that ended. The stirring music underscores a powerful theme with the line: But anyway/how much did it ever really mean.
Despite the initial four songs of the CD that stray from the rest of the tracks, a high-quality, soulful record remains. This is the sound that people should associate with Chambers. The songs such as I Got You Now and You Make Me Sing fit perfectly with Chambers' range of vocal abilities.
At the beginning of the CD, Chambers steps out of her comfort zone of country music and into a dizzying collage of musical styles that falls short of its mark. The rest of the songs return to Chambers' style of ballads for which she is well known.
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Brianna Voight
