Come On Come On

Mary Chapin Carpenter maintained a careful balancing act during her ‘90s heyday as a mainstream country act. She recorded enough radio-oriented tunes to provide her with hits while rounding out her albums with more subtle and personal material. Come On Come On achieved the best marriage of the two strains in Carpenter’s work — the hits here are bright and catchy, while the album cuts deserve a close listening. Just about anyone who listened to Top 40 country stations in those days remembers “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her,” “I Feel Lucky,” and “Passionate Kisses” fondly — Carpenter’s rendition of the last-named song is especially sensitive and uplifting. Those who went beyond the hits discovered exquisitely penned tunes like “I Am a Town” (a poignant panorama of rural America) and the title song (a haunting invocation of memory and desire). Carpenter is particularly effective as a singer of wistful tunes like these — her truer colors come out as her mood darkens.