Melissa carper

​Melissa Carper (from the album Daddy’s Country Gold available on Mae Music Records) (by Brian Rock)
Melissa Carper looks to the past in her debut solo release, Daddy’s Country Gold. The vocalist, and bassist, for The Carper Family and Buffalo Gals steps into the spotlight with her distinctive Sarah Carter meets Ella Fitzgerald voice. But to compare her voice to anyone really doesn’t do justice to this one-of-a-kind vocal talent. Melissa Carper’s voice is decidedly Country but not twangy. It has a Jazz-tinged elegance but with a sense of playfulness. However you describe it, her voice definitely evokes a distant musical era. Alternating between Country ballads and Western Swing, Melissa Carper delivers a dozen anachronistic originals that capture universal themes of hurt and hope through the black and white lens of Depression and WWII era musical styles.
“I Almost Forgot About You” is an upright bass and piano, Country-Jazz fusion ballad. Singing about a lost love that never quite leaves her mind, she sings ‘I don’t remember when we met. There’s a lot of things that I forget. If I could only forget to remember you, I could almost forget about you’. With a melancholy tone, Carper sings that not even nights out with friends, spring’s first blossoms, or the prospect of new loves are enough to drive her lost lover from memory. “Back When” incorporates fiddle and steel guitar to mourn a relationship whose once fiery flame has begun to dim. “You’re Still My Love” and “It’s Better If You Never Know” combine the same musical elements to sing about loneliness and love gone wrong. Carper adds a more orchestral feel to “The Stars Are Aligned”; with piano, violin, and whisk drum brushes, she evokes a Vera Lynn sentimentality while creating an elegant scene of romantic bliss. It is an instant classic for slow dancing with the one you love. 
Melissa Carper unveils her playful side on “Would You Like To Get Some Goats”. Daddy’s Country Gold increases the tempo a bit and adding Western Swing rhythms, Melissa invites her lover to bake pies, make hot sauce, and do all the things that make for a happy home in the country. “Old Fashioned Gal, “Arkansas Hills,” “I’m Musing You,” and “Many Moons Ago” all pay homage to the days of Bob Wills and The Light Crust Doughboys, and feature irresistible two-step dance rhythms. To call this album Daddy’s Country Gold misses the mark by a generation or two but the album certainly is a golden tribute to the early days of Country music. Melissa Carper’s voice and wit reinvigorate these historic musical styles and give them new life in this digital age. (by Brian Rock)
Listen and buy the music of Melissa Carper from AMAZON
More information is available on the Melissa Carper website

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