Pop Pick of the Week

Mary Chapin Carpenter scored a huge No. 1 country hit with “Shut Up and Kiss Me,” a song that still resonates with its sensual urgency and west coast swing groove more than 30 years later. Her earlier entries, “I Feel Lucky” and “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her,” both from her four-million selling 1992 album Come On Come On, also exhibited the clever yet catchy approach, a style boasting her smoky alto that carried her through five Grammy Award wins, including four consecutive ones for Best Female Country Vocal Performance 1992-1995. 

But Carpenter’s latest albums reveal an even deeper side to the singer-songwriter with a gift for both lyrics and melody, with the just-released Personal History loaded with introspective and autobiographical topics “soaked in sincerity” as one reviewer wrote of her 17th solo album. Adding to the appeal on her current tour – which stops at the Lobero on June 16 – is supporting singer-songwriter Brandy Clark, who won her first Grammy for “Dear Insecurity,” the centerpiece of her 2023 self-titled album that Forbes named “an Americana masterpiece.” Carpenter will play songs from her long career, while we may confidently speculate that Clark will also visit many of her earlier compositions. Visit www.lobero.org.