Constant Ivy Music
1997
Shadows In The Banquet Hall
About This Album
Carbon Leaf returns from Richmond, VA, with their follow-up album, Shadows in the Banquet Hall. The lyrics are often complex in this collection and are challenging to catch on first listen, so it's good that they include the words with the CD. Listeners will find some cuts, like "Reunion Monticello," a lot more comprehensible when they read the lyrics as they play the song. Of particular note is "Attica's Flowerbox Window," about a woman who first asks politely that her wish for a view be granted, and then, having been summarily denied, sets out with sudden decision to build it herself. With her own efforts attracting the attention and support of friends, the project is triumphantly completed. The song is a celebration of the breaking of conventional boundaries, and is definitely well worth repeat play. Barry Privett's skill at rapid-fire delivery is increasing with every album, and the instrumentalists -- Terry Clark on guitar, Carter Gravatt on mandolin, Devin McGuire on bass, and Scott Milstead on percussion -- weave a mix of sound to support it. The overall production is definitely a team effort, with each player enhancing the performance of the others. Listeners with an ear for the lyrics will notice that Privett has a series of images and themes that reoccur in his songwriting.
Track List (try tracks 1,2,3 and 5)

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