| The Things That We Are Made Of | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 6, 2016 | |||
| Genre | [1] | |||
| Length | 48:49 (standard edition) 57:52 (with bonus tracks) | |||
| Label | Lambent Light Records | |||
| Producer | Dave Cobb | |||
| Mary Chapin Carpenter chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Things That We Are Made Of is the 14th studio album by American singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter, released by Lambent Light Records on May 6, 2016. The album was produced by Dave Cobb.
Background
Carpenter recorded The Things That We Are Made Of at Dave Cobb's Low Country Sound studio in Nashville, Tennessee; production was helmed by Cobb. She began writing the material for the album about four years prior, and described the writing process as similar to those of her previous works in an interview with Diane Rehm: "[W]henever I've started a record, I haven't really had, like, a topic or an agenda or anything to sort of stitch the songs together. They just kind of come out. And when I finished the writing for [The Things That We Are Made Of], I was able to sort of see it as one thing and it really was this sort of document of where I am in my life, what this age that I'm at is bringing to me, [and] what I have lost along the way."[2] In another interview with HuffPost, Carpenter said that the album's songs "poses questions at every verse", further adding that "What I was trying to articulate is that duality, two sides of ourselves that want to be unanswerable but also want that deep connection and safety. How to reconcile those two things? The song "Something Tamed Something Wild" poses that question and those conversations run through the record."[3]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Pitchfork | 6.8/10[5] |
Upon release, The Things We Are Made Of received mixed reviews from music critics. Benjamin Naddaff-Hafrey of NPR called the album "surprising", however he praised Dave Cobb's production for "stripping Carpenter's arrangements back" in contrast to her previous album Songs from the Movie (2014). He also wrote: "In the process, she makes you believe that the lucky end of the stories we tell ourselves is the ability to look through memories and find real acceptance — the things we're made of and the strength to set off again."[6]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Mary Chapin Carpenter
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Something Tamed Something Wild" | 3:46 |
| 2. | "The Middle Ages" | 3:48 |
| 3. | "What Does It Mean to Travel" | 3:09 |
| 4. | "Livingston" | 5:13 |
| 5. | "Map of My Heart" | 2:57 |
| 6. | "Oh Rosetta" | 4:39 |
| 7. | "Deep Deep Down Heart" | 4:34 |
| 8. | "Hand on My Back" | 5:14 |
| 9. | "The Blue Distance" | 5:04 |
| 10. | "Note on a Windshield" | 4:49 |
| 11. | "The Things That We Are Made Of" | 5:30 |
| Total length: | 48:49 | |
Spotify, iTunes and Apple Music bonus tracks[7]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Between the Wars (Charleston 1937)" | 4:03 |
| 13. | "88 Constellations" | 5:00 |
| Total length: | 57:52 | |
Personnel
Credits for The Things That We Are Made Of adapted from AllMusic.[8]
Musicians
- Mary Chapin Carpenter - vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
- Dave Cobb - acoustic guitar, electric guitar, gut string guitar, mellotoron, moog, percussion, synthesizer
- Brian Allen - bass
- Annie Clements - bass
- Eamon McLoughlin - strings
- Chris Powell - drums, percussion
- Jimmy Walace - hammond B3, piano
- Mike Webb - fender rhodes, hammond B3, mellotron, piano, reed organ
Technical
- Dave Cobb - production, mixing
- Pete Lyman - mastering engineer
- Eamon McLoughlin - strings engineer
- Matt Ross-Spang - engineering, mixing
- Mike Stankiewicz - assistant engineering
Design
- Aaron Farrington - photography
- Kit Peltzel - artwork design
- Lisa Wright - artwork design
Chart performance
| Chart (2016) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums (OCC)[9] | 47 |
| UK Americana Albums (OCC)[10] | 3 |
| US Billboard 200[11] | 103 |
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[12] | 8 |
| US Folk Albums (Billboard)[13] | 3 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[14] | 4 |
| US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[15] | 42 |
References
- ↑ "The Things That We Are Made Of by Mary Chapin Carpenter". Apple Music. 2016-05-06. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
Mary Chapin Carpenter exudes hard-won calm and wisdom on her 14th album, a set of gorgeous Americana tracks that serve as a memoir.
- ↑ "Mary Chapin Carpenter On Her 14th Album, "The Things That We Are Made Of"". The Official Website of Diane Rehm. WAMU. 2016-05-23. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
- ↑ D'Ambrosio, Brian (2016-05-02). "The Things That We Are Made Of: Mary Chapin Carpenter's Spirit of Fire". HuffPost. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
- ↑ Jurek, Thom. "The Things That We Are Made Of - Mary Chapin Carpenter". AllMusic. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
- ↑ Sodomsky, Sam (2016-05-11). "Mary Chapin Carpenter: The Things That We Are Made Of Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
- ↑ Naddaff-Haffrey, Benjamin (2016-04-28). "Review: Mary Chapin Carpenter, 'The Things We Are Made Of': NPR". NPR. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
- ↑ "Mary Chapin Carpenter – The Things That We Are Made Of (2016, Digital Download)". music.apple.com. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
- ↑ "The Things That We Are Made Of - Mary Chapin Carpenter | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
- ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
- ↑ "Official Americana Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
- ↑ "Mary Chapin Carpenter Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
- ↑ "Mary Chapin Carpenter Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
- ↑ "Mary Chapin Carpenter Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
- ↑ "Mary Chapin Carpenter Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
- ↑ "Mary Chapin Carpenter Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2021.