Bumpershot - CD Reviews, Music News, and More - Carolyn Mark And The New Best Friends

The Pros And Cons Of Collaboration - (Mint Records)

Carolyn Mark continues her reign as Queen Of The Party with The Pros And Cons Of Collaboration, her best release yet. Which is saying a lot since her last, Terrible Hostess, was one of 2002's finest. This time around her band The Roommates undergo a name change to The New Best Friends but we're pretty much looking at the same cast of characters - Tolan McNeil, Ford Pier, and guests like Kelly Hogan. Despite surrounding herself consistently with a pretty high caliber of talent, the focus never shifts from Mark's singing and songwriting.

To add to the overall storytelling within The Pros And Cons Of Collaboration, things open with an "Overture" and end with a bizarre and very funny "closing credits" track. In between are odes to alcohol, loves lost and found, alcohol, and there's even a song or several about alcohol.

Country music and booze serves up certain woeful connotations, but Mark's songs go from celebratory to finger-pointing to regret - all without the car-wreck-endings. There's correcting being "2 Days Smug And Sober" with bourbon decays (recipe in the lyric booklet) and singing the praises (correctly!) of red over white in "The Wine Song". Mark accompanies herself on piano on "Hangover". What she coveys is done so convincingly that you'll swear you mumbled this song to yourself the last time you woke up and staggered for the AC&C (at least that's my remedy of choice) in the medicine cabinet.

The Pros And Cons Of Collaboration isn't all about getting smashed, though. Mark delivers one of her pretties melodies, and finest vocals, in "Not A Doll", while going from rockin'-folk to just-plain-rockin' within the fun "Yanksgiving". As is often the case, Mark delivers these party songs in such a way that you end up responding with, "Hmm - wish I was there." Mark also makes an inspired choice for a song to cover here as well, making the most out of "Slept All Afternoon" by the woefully unsung Jr. Gone Wild (from their Less Art, More Pop LP no less!).

Carolyn Mark flatly deserves more recognition than she gets and The Pros And Cons Of Collaboration should send more than a few new fans her way. If it doesn't, well then the world just ain't right.

8.0