Hometown Girl (studio album) by Mary Chapin Carpenter

Hometown Girl is the debut studio album by Mary Chapin-Carpenter. Carpenter was kicking around the D.C. acoustic scene. On a stroke of luck she was recommended by the owner of the renowned Berchmere acoustic club to a talent scout. After hearing her demo, she was signed to Columbia Records.

Chapin-Carpenter was one of the retro-rockabilly folk singer-songwriters that was lucky enough to be signed by a major label in the mid 80s, with MCA peers Steve Earle, Lyle Lovett and Nanci Griffith, who made albums produced by Tony Brown. The attempt to market them as country artists mostly failed, but they were picked up by the growing independent Americana movement of the 90s. Chapin-Carpenter would be the exception, hitting it big as an anomaly in the country music world: A non-flashy pop/folk female singer-songwriter.

Hometown Girl is a simple country-folk record, devoid of the pop-rock that would turn her into a crossover success. The lyrics are here though, reflecting the namesake of the album with songs about little characters from little towns. It's mostly downbeat, except for the uptempo Road is Just a Road. Hometown Girl would be an excellent launching pad for what would soon come.

A Side: Other Streets and Other Towns
B Side: Hometown Girl