| The Calling | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Mary Chapin Carpenter | ||||
| Released | March 6, 2007 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Label | Zoë | |||
| Producer | Mary Chapin Carpenter Matt Rollings | |||
| Mary Chapin Carpenter chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Calling is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter, released by Zoë Records on March 6, 2007. Carpenter had previously been on Columbia Nashville; this album was her first release on a new label, as well as her first studio album since 2004's Between Here and Gone. Like her previous release, she wrote every song on the album, which went to No. 10 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.
Two singles were released, On With the Song and It Must Have Happened, but neither charted on the Billboard Hot Country Songs.
Reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | (77/100) |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| About.com |  |
| AllMusic |  |
| BBC Music | (mixed) |
| The Boston Globe | (positive) |
| Hot Press | (favorable) |
| Paste | (6/10) |
| The Phoenix | |
| PopMatters |   |
Thom Jurek of AllMusic gave the album 4-out-of-5-stars and said: "Time will tell, of course, but in The Calling, Carpenter may have her finest moment yet; it also feels like an artistic rebirth. These songs come from her marrow and the conviction she sings them with proves it. Carpenter and her co-producer Matt Rollings should be awfully proud of this one."
Track listing
All songs written by Mary Chapin Carpenter.
- "The Calling" - 4:17
- "We're All Right" - 3:47
- "Twilight" - 4:30
- "It Must Have Happened" - 4:05
- "On and on It Goes" - 4:20
- "Your Life Story" - 4:20
- "Houston" - 5:45
- "Leaving Song" - 4:02
- "On With the Song" - 3:58
- "Closer and Closer Apart" - 4:31
- "Here I Am" - 4:17
- "Why Shouldn't We" - 5:04
- "Bright Morning Star" - 4:55
Credits
Production
- Mary Chapin Carpenter, Matt Rollings - producers
- Chuck Ainlay - engineer, mixing
- Scott Kidd - engineer
- Bob Ludwig - mastering
Personnel
- Mary Chapin Carpenter - vocals, acoustic guitar
- Eric Darken - percussion, vibraphone
- John Jennings - dulcimer, electric guitar, baritone guitar, background vocals
- Russ Kunkel - drums, percussion, cajon
- Dean Parks - electric guitar, acoustic guitar, 12-string guitar
- Matt Rollings - Hammond organ, piano, accordion
- Glenn Worf - bass guitar
Chart performance
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 | 55 |
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard) | 10 |
References
- ^ Critic reviews at Metacritic
- About.com review
- Allmusic review
- BBC Music review
- The Boston Globe review
- Hot Press review
- Paste review
- The Phoenix review
- PopMatters review
- "Mary Chapin Carpenter Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- "Mary Chapin Carpenter Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 5, 2021.