The Dirt and the Stars

The Dirt and the Stars is the sixteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter. It was released on August 7, 2020 by Lambent Light Records.[1]

The Dirt and the Stars
Studio album by Mary Chapin Carpenter
Released	August 7, 2020
Length	58:29
Label	Lambent Light Records
Producer	Ethan Johns
Mary Chapin Carpenter chronology
Sometimes Just the Sky (2018) The Dirt and the Stars (2020)

Background and recording

In a press release, Carpenter described the songs on the album as "very personal" and "difficult in some ways, and definitely come from places of pain and self-illumination, but also places of joy, discovery and the rewards of self- knowledge." She wrote the album at her Virginia farmhouse and recorded it at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios in Bath, England.[2]

Critical reception

Bob Paxman of Sounds of Nashville gave The Dirt and the Stars a positive review, praising Carpenter for her ability to "[get] her message across with lyrical passages that could easily pass for straight poetry" and the album's cohesiveness that allows the songs to "build with nice opening sequences".[3] Thom Jurek of AllMusic gave the album four out of five stars, highlighting the use of Carpenter's "empathic" band to "erase all boundaries between singer and song", and describing it as one of her standout albums from her entire repertoire.[4]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Mary Chapin Carpenter.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Farther Along and Further In"	4:57
2.	"It's Ok to be Sad"	5:05
3.	"All Broken Hearts Break Differently"	4:42
4.	"Old D-35"	5:55
5.	"American Stooge"	6:05
6.	"Where the Beauty Is"	3:51
7.	"Nocturne"	6:16
8.	"Secret Keepers"	3:23
9.	"Asking for a Friend"	5:13
10.	"Everybody's Got Something"	5:19
11.	"Between the Dirt and the Stars"	7:43
Total length:		58:29

References

1. "The Dirt and the Stars by Mary Chapin Carpenter". Apple Music. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
2. Sawyer, Bobbie Jean (12 June 2020). "Mary Chapin Carpenter Announces New Album 'The Dirt And The Stars'". Wide Open Country. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
3. Paxman, Bob (10 August 2020). "Album Review: Mary Chapin Carpenter's 'The Dirt and the Stars'". Sounds Like Nashville. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
4. Jurek, Thom. "The Dirt and the Stars - Mary Chapin Carpenter | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Netaktion, LLC. Retrieved 14 August 2020.