City Winery uncorks a night of female singer songwriters with Vanessa Carlton and opener Tristen
βWeβre just gonna let this sh*t sail.β
They say a book can be defined by its opening line. Β Well, if Vanessa Carltonβs recent show at City Winery was a novel, I think Iβd read that book in heartbeat.
Instead of a novel, that prose opened Carltonβs set with her recognizable hitΒ βA Thousand Miles.β Β Vanessa continued, βWeβre just gonna let this baby cry,β as she struck the familiar opening notes of the song. Β
The tone, and this show, marked a shift from the past, a desire to move on, and a celebration of new sounds.
But just for a moment, letβs place βA Thousand Milesβ in context:
If you were ever in a car with a radio in the 2000βs, you heard the song. Β This was pre-Greyβs Anatomy, post-Lilith Fair, and present day Maverick Records. Β Yes, music videos were still a thing. Β No, boy bands were not. Β The time was ripe, ready, and full of young female singer songwriters with easy-to-listen-to hit pop songs that still grace radio stations today: Michelle Branch, Anna Nalick, Avril Lavigne, Natasha Bedingfield, Nelly Furtado (βIβm Like A Birdβ Nelly, not βManeaterβ Nelly)β¦ the list goes on.
Well β¦ you used to hear Vanessa Carlton on the radio. Β Now, you can hear her 30,000 feet in the sky: Β βTake It Easy,β the first track on Carltonβs recent release Liberman, plays as you board select Delta flights. Β Carlton joked that this was her finest achievement.
Liberman, released in 2015, signaled a departure for Carlton. Β The synth-pop album, which still centers on Carltonβs piano playing, was written after Carltonβs marriage and entry into parenthood. Β Liberman pays homage to Carltonβs grandfather and the dream like feel of his oil paintings, one of which graced the stage at City Winery. Β You could close your eyes and join her in that dream, but if you did, youβd be missing the opportunity to watch Vanessa on piano and her long time collaborator and violinist Skye Steele pair their work. Either way, youβd be rewarded with an ethereal state created through looped violin tracks, vocals, sound…and wine. Β Though only one glass because, as Carlton noted, we werenβt sure what we going to get if she had two.Β
In some ways, the choice of having fellow Nashville songwriter Tristen as an opener helped to signal this synth pop change. Β Not to be confused with Tristan Prettyman who yes, like Carlton, started releasing songs in the aforementioned 2000βs songwriter era, Tristen, dubbed by The Boston Globe as βNashvilleβs best kept secret,β may not be a secret any longer. Β Alongside her hilarious and charming predictability in terms of titles (case and point: βThis song is about nobody knowing. Β Itβs called “Nobodyβs Gonna Knowβ) came crafted pop songs with an unique, unabashed vocal sound.
Tristenβs variety was certainly on display, from the acoustic drives of βBaby Drugsβ to the synth drives of βCatalystβ (not to be confused with “Catalyst” of the aforementioned Anna Nalick) the latter of which sounds like something straight of the 80βs. Β βCatalystβ did exactly as its name predicted: Β jumpstarted the set. Β
With the energy they contain, one couldnβt help but wonder why, then, “Catalyst,” and fellow stand out song βNo Oneβs Gonna Knowβ were placed solidly in the middle of Tristenβs set as opposed to in the beginning where it could have lived up to its definition: increase the rate of a reaction. Β That said, variety and versatility are traits her headliner, Carlton, harbors, as do others whoβve transcended genres and types. Β Here, it feels undefined, and teetering on the edge: Β Are we into synths or not into synths? Β Are the songs weird (βPsychic Vampireβ is one such amazing title) or not weird? Β Is it guitar driven or not guitar driven?
Or, is the point that Iβm asking all these questions? Β Or, might the direction be confirmed with Tristen’s upcoming release, Sneaker Waves, due this summer?
If Tristen did want to go full on weird, she wouldnβt have to go far: Stevie Nicks is a friend of Carltonβs and married her and her partner John McCauley. Β Perhaps she too, can take Tristen under her shawl draped wing.
To close the evening, Tristen came out to join Vanessa for a cover of Janis Joplinβs βMercedes Benz.” Β And in that moment, Tristen wasn’t just face to face with another artist. Β She was face to face with female songwriting history before her. Β