Nearly a decade has passed since Vanessa Carlton debuted her first single, “A Thousand Miles.” And though her latest album’s first track “Carousel” opens with the familiar sound of a solitary piano, Carlton’s sound has undergone quite the evolution.
After several bouts of record label changes, Carlton opted to independently produce her fourth album, “Rabbits on the Run,” which she recorded entirely to analog tape in Box, England.
Repeated hints of British influence come through on the project, from the singer-pianist’s citations of Stephen Hawking and Richard Adams as major inspirations in her songwriting, to more blatant cues in song titles like “London.”
The album is her most experimental work to date, reflecting lyrically mature songwriting more akin to poetic conversation as Carlton dreamily philosophizes on the complications of love, time and death.
Yet, despite this melancholy, the album retains an airy elegance in sound. The usual dose of cello and violin strings complement Carlton’s songs, but it’s her more creative collaborations that separate “Rabbits on the Run” from previous albums.
Carlton enlists the help of a children’s choir for backing vocals in her single “Carousel” and “I Don’t Want to Be a Bride,” draping echoed hymns behind Carlton’s unabashedly honest lyrics ““ “I don’t wanna be a bride / Apologies to your mother / But I can be your girl / And share this life with you / But I don’t wanna wear white / You know it’s too late for that.”
This diary-confessional lyricism characterizes much of the album. “You’ve got a knife-throwing kind of love / But your silence cuts the deepest,” Carlton belts in “London.” Lyrics fused with background recordings of rain and the surging unison of violin and delicate piano keys paint a vivid story of regret and rebirth.
Carlton’s confident vocals reflect the most dramatic transition in her style from 2007’s “Heroes & Thieves.” A sometimes haunting, choral quality dominates Carlton’s delivery, reflecting a maturity absent in the girlish pitch of her earlier work. However, this shift suits her on “Rabbits on the Run,” complementing lyrically rich storytelling that delves far deeper than catchy love songs past.
Guitarist Ari Ingber of the Upwelling and drummer Patrick Hallahan of My Morning Jacket add further musical dimension to the album, shining alongside Carlton’s sweeping piano melodies and vocals in the faster tempos of standout songs “Tall Tales for Spring,” an ode to her literary inspiration (“And Hawking will tell us no tall tales this spring”), “Fairweather Friends” and the album’s most pop-laced “Dear California.”
But despite its lyrical jewels, “Rabbits on the Run” falls short of a sense of continuity between its ten tracks. Stripped and sullen songs “Hear the Bells” and eerie final track “In the End” are uncharacteristic of Carlton’s otherwise beautiful songwriting, sounding strangely drone-like.
These occasional dark tracks seem awkwardly placed between polished subtle folk-rock featuring the talents of Ingber and Hallahan. The end result is an album that seems unfortunately caught between genres.
And though Carlton’s soft voice and unquestionable piano talent ensure that the album is audibly pretty, only half of the songs are memorable in the well-intended muddle.
Email Roberts at lroberts@media.ucla.edu.