Melissa Carper Readies New Album “Ramblin’ Soul”
A critically important subset of the country/roots revolution we’re currently enjoying is a crop of women who are fearlessly hearkening back to the very earliest times of American music before it was all corrupted by fads and financial incentives. This is where Sierra Ferrell has found fertile ground, and so has Melissa Carper, who dazzled audiences with her 2021 release Daddy’s Country Gold, which ended up being nominated for Saving Country Music’s Album of the Year. Melissa Carper is hoping to continue the momentum with her new album Ramblin’ Soul due out November 18th via Thirty Tigers.
Inspired by the freedom found in touring and travel, this became the basis for the new record. “Thematically, I had a handful of songs about rambling around and living a free life that I wanted to weave through the album,” Carper says. “I also knew I wanted ‘Ramblin’ Soul’ to have a different feel than my previous release, ‘Daddy’s Country Gold,’ with more upbeat and diverse styles and grooves.”
It may have a different feel, but Melissa Carper called upon the same rather incredible group of musicians that worked on Daddy’s Country Gold to bring Ramblin’ Soul to life. Andrija Tokic and Dennis Crouch of The Time Jumpers co-produced the sessions, with Crouch also playing bass on the tracks. Also featured on the album are Chris Scruggs on guitar and console steel, Billy Contreras on fiddle, Wes Langlois on guitar, Sierra Ferrell and Larry Marrs on harmony vocals, John Palmer on keys, and Matty Meyer on drums.
“It was really incredible and so much fun to hear the songs develop in the studio with a stellar group of musicians and producers all sharing their ideas and bringing each song to life,” says Carper. “They seriously knocked it out of the park. It was truly a group effort. I was blown away by everyone involved and the resulting soulful and joyful energy of the album. I am excited to get ‘Ramblin’ Soul’ out into the world and hope people enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it.”
Though mostly written by Carper herself, she did have some help from former bandmate Gina Gallina on the track “I Do What I WANNA,” borrowed “Hanging on the You” from frequent collaborator Brennen Leigh, and also recorded “Hit or Miss” by Odetta on the album.
Though Melissa Carper’s solo career is finally starting to take off, she’s far from new to the music scene, playing in outfits such as The Carper Family, The Camptown Ladies, Sad Daddy, and a dozen or so other outfits as an upright bass-for-hire for years. Here lately though, Carper has found her true voice and place in the music world, and with a sound many country and roots music fans are thirsty for.
Ramblin’ Soul is now available for pre-order.
TRACK LIST:
1. Ramblin’ Soul (Melissa Carper)
2. Zen Buddha (Melissa Carper)
3. Ain’t a Day Goes By (Melissa Carper)
4. 1980 Dodge Van (Melissa Carper)
5. Texas, Texas, Texas (Melissa Carper)
6. That’s My Only Regret (Melissa Carper)
7. Boxers on Backwards (Melissa Carper)
8. I Do What I WANNA (Melissa Carper, Gina Gallina)
9. Hit or Miss (Odetta Gordon)
10. I Don’t Need to Cry (Melissa Carper)
11. Holding All the Cards (Melissa Carper)
12. From What I Recall (Melissa Carper)
13. Hanging on to You (Brennen Leigh)
October 10, 2022 @ 9:41 am
What a voice. Last few years, it feels like we’ve surrounded by wannabe Carrie Underwoods, and generic Belmont sad girls. But there is a growing treasure trove of female musicians, gladly off the beaten path and staying there, with the Industry grudgingly following the money to them. Some things never change in country music… but hell yes. Things musical continue to look up
October 10, 2022 @ 10:31 am
Liked the last album and sure I will this also, she does the style so well. Reminds me of Wayne the Train!
October 10, 2022 @ 11:32 am
Doesnt sound too bad. Will check out the album when it releases.
October 10, 2022 @ 12:21 pm
I have Carper’s first record and enjoy it. Distinctive voice. I’m a sucker for people who play with upright bass and reach back to Tin Pan Alley. Carper has her own schtick (ahem), but she doesn’t shove it in your face. Honest, clever, back-forty music. I’m a fan, so far.
October 10, 2022 @ 6:33 pm
What schtick might that be?
October 10, 2022 @ 3:22 pm
My favorite of hers is Where the Heart Wants to Go by Buffalo Gals Band. This looks promising, I’m looking forward to ramblin’ along with it.
October 10, 2022 @ 4:32 pm
I struggle with how affected it sounds. I can’t imagine that someone talks with that aggressive of an accent that singing comes off like that.
October 10, 2022 @ 6:03 pm
I saw her open for Sierra Ferrell last year in a small, upstairs venue that held about 50 people. I got to tell her face to face how much I enjoyed her set. That was a good night.
October 11, 2022 @ 6:15 am
I liked Melissa’s last album, but similar her male counterparts who make this retro type of music, it does come off a little bit like a recreation of classic country style as opposed to something original. The natural comparison is Sierra Ferrel, but Melissa has yet to duplicate Sierra’s ability to take a classic sound and make it her own. Hopefully the reference to making an album with more upbeat and diverse styles and grooves will take her to the next level. Rambling Soul, the song, is a good start.
October 11, 2022 @ 9:22 am
Anyone is bound to lose if you compare them to Sierra Ferrell, but check out their duo of “My Old Chevy Van” on youtube and see if Melissa doesn’t hold her own. She’s one of a kind.
October 11, 2022 @ 9:33 am
I agree that she is talented, and I do like her music. My criticism is more the strict adherence to making albums that sound exactly as they would have in a certain era, as opposed to taking the sounds from that era and creativity making it something your own. You can hold the standards of the genre while still being creative. The comparison to Sierra is simply to point that out, more than just implying she is better.
October 11, 2022 @ 11:38 am
Pre-ordered a physical copy.
Bluegrassers aren’t questioned about recreating bluegrass and its sound. I like that a thousand traditions can bloom. Music doesn’t “progress.” It just deepens and expands.
November 16, 2022 @ 9:39 am
Love this!! Also wonderful to hear Chris Scruggs play the steel. I hear some of Kayton Roberts’ style. I heard this song on WKSU yesterday, from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. I should probably be embarrassed to admit that this is the first time I heard you… but definitely not the last!!