Carolyn Mark – Nothing Is Free (Mint)
Carolyn Mark, a singer-songwriter/chanteuse from Vancouver, doesn’t have a pretentious bone in her body. Her records sound like the kind of parties I’ve always wanted to go to. Her latest effort, Nothing Is Free is beautiful, reflective, clever and very fun.
It begins with a slow, absorbing tune called “The Business End,” which contains jokingly somber lyrics like “too lazy to beat myself up being too lazy to, you know, beat myself up” and “feelin’ bad about not feelin’ bad enough.” Her songs are always full of single lines that jump out and attack, making you think, while still striking a funny chord: “…that airport feeling, being made to wait for expensive things you don’t need” (“Happy 2B Flying Away”).