Album Review – Carter Faith’s “Cherry Valley”

Country Pop (#530.2) with song Traditional Country (#530) on the Country DDS.

Welcome to Carter Faith’s Cherry Valley, which feels both decadent and quaint, inviting and a little intimidating, full of delights, but with temptations and heartbreaks around every turn, where the bitterness is chased with sweetness. It’s a musical universe this young artist originally from North Carolina has created for herself as an emotional haven that she lets the audience peer into through the portal of her debut album.

There is a new cohort of country women launching promising careers that don’t make themselves easy to quantify or compartmentalize in your country music brain. That’s because they’re creating a space for themselves previously unoccupied. The sound is surprisingly twangy and country in moments, though still inflected throughout with pop sensibility. They’re super cute, but overly cussy. Their approach is more independent and less radio-focused, yet still very much indicative of Nashville.

We’re talking about the Willow Avalon’s and Maggie Antone’s of the world, and Carter Faith could definitely be considered among this crew. But what Carter does with Cherry Valley is separate herself from by advancing more mature songwriting, and showcasing a voice that feels generational in scope. Not since Caitlyn Smith have we heard this combination of top-caliber songwriting with a superior voice brought to music that can appeal to country and pop fans without losing credibility with either.

Cherry Valley has some tracks that will present a challenge to the more hardcore country fans. “Sex, Drugs, & Country Music” might be Carter Faith’s love letter to the genre, but the words are perhaps a little too racy for those in the parental demo. “Betty” gets going with a clever premise, but gets a little too carried away with alliteration until the letter ‘B’ is bouncing around the inside of your brain like a ping-pong ball.

“Bar Star” might be one of the more country-sounding tracks on the record, but is a little too cute for itself, and lacks the gravity you want from a good song. But after seeding Cherry Valley with more buzzy, accessible cuts, Carter Faith took her time crafting more meaningful moments to fill out and bookend a very thought-out and enriching record. Even in its lighter moments, the songs still feel honest and biographical to Carter Faith’s own experience. This is her album, not anyone else’s.

The song “Six String” takes you on an emotional ride that some entire albums fail to achieve, with cunning turns of phrase around every corner exploring the fungible nature of words. Along with the next song “If I Had Never Lost My Mind,” they anchor the listening experience with the weight and depth you want from music.

“So I Sing” is a great example of writing a song in a way that showcases a songwriter’s vocal strengths, which is a challenge for most songwriters. It exploits the range and contours of Carter Faith’s voice expertly. And though she is a naturally-gifted singer, you can tell Carter Faith’s musical foundation stems from songwriting. The song “Changed” is a great example, as are the opening and closing tracks that take advantage of strings to achieve immersive moments.

Some might find themselves cherry picking their way through Cherry Valley, especially during the first half of the album. But with 15 tracks, you can still walk away with a good bushel of songs that sound sweet to you. Some of the inconsistency is what keeps this album from achieving a superior rating overall. But Carter Faith exudes nothing but promise, and turns in some moments that peak the emotional meter on this auspicious debut.

8/10

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Purchase/Stream Carter Faith’s Cherry Valley