Little Love Letters

Amazon.com essential recording
Backed by a band flush with aces--from the country side, Buddy Emmons, Albert Lee, and Roy Huskey Jr.; from rock, Howie Epstein, Benmont Tench, and David Lindley--Carter plays her strongest suit with her 1993 release. There's a commitment to her own material--fine songs like "Long Hard Fall" and the hit "Every Little Thing"--that pushes her vocals in intense, emotional directions. This is Carter's first record to adequately express her rock sensibilities in a cohesive country setting, and for that, it remains her best. --Roy Francis Kasten

Tracks:

Little Love Letter #1
Every Little Thing
Wastin' Time With You
Unbreakable Heart
Sweet Meant To Be
Nowhere Train
Long Hard Fall
Little Love Letter #2
I Love You 'Cause I Want To
World Of Miracles
First Kiss
Hallelujah In My Heart
The Rain
Heart Is Right

Amazon.com essential recording

Backed by a band flush with aces--from the country side, Buddy Emmons, Albert Lee, and Roy Huskey Jr.; from rock, Howie Epstein, Benmont Tench, and David Lindley--Carter plays her strongest suit with her 1993 release. There's a commitment to her own material--fine songs like "Long Hard Fall" and the hit "Every Little Thing"--that pushes her vocals in intense, emotional directions. This is Carter's first record to adequately express her rock sensibilities in a cohesive country setting, and for that, it remains her best. --Roy Francis Kasten

Customer Reviews:

Carlene Rocks.......2007-06-12

Little Love Letters is a great country/rock album. It's marked throughout by high energy. There are strong drums throughout the album. Carlene puts a lot into the vocals. There's no fill on this album; it's solid good songs. These are just the really good songs:

Every Little Thing - very high energy, makes listening want to jump around

Wastin Time with You - energetic, with good drums and a kind of 50s-rock-like instrumentation

Unbreakable Heart - good ballad, well sung by Carlene in a gentle voice

Sweet Meant to Be - an awesome song, one of my favs in any genre. Great soprano voice by Carlene. About a love that was "meant to be"

Nowhere Train - kinda has the rhythm of a train going across country. Nice effect

I Love You Cause I Want To - another one with 50s rock style to it. Very assertive, forward vocals about singer going for what she wants

Hallelujah in My Heart - jubilant attitude

Heart is Right - this tune just really moves along, irresistable

Great album by Carlene. It's too bad that she has since run into hard times from what I hear. Well, she made this album and that's a lot more than most of us will ever accomplish musically.

Country Rock rollercoaster that never gets old........2006-01-26

This is the best country rock recording I've ever heard.

The first Carlene Carter album I ever owned was Musical Shapes. I thought nothing could be better than that in the world of country rock. I went and bought up most all her other recordings to see if she ever did anything else like that great "country punk" album from the 80's. This was the gold nugget of the lot (although all her stuff is enjoyable to me).

Some recordings sound like projects that the musicians work hard at and are glad when they're over, and some recordings sound like everyone is having fun. This is the latter.

If you are a Carlene Carter fan at all and you don't own this album, you should. If you own this and don't own Musical Shapes, then by all means get that one too. And, if you've heard of Carlene Carter and you're wondering which one of her discs to buy first, this is it!

Absolutely Timeless.......2005-05-15

I had the good fortune of making several personal travel arrangements for Carlene when she was on the Giant lable and I was living in Nashville. You felt like one of her best friends by the end of the call. She even gave me an album credit. I grew up listening to music from sunup to sundown. My mother would play a radio every night as she put me to bed. There are very few music styles that can say I don't like. I was around always Country Music, but was a little more Rock & Roll. I honestly think I would have loved as much then as I do now. It's timeless and I grow to like it the more and more everytime it's played. It's amazing to me how she combined all the music styles and made it what I consider as one of the best albums of any style in the 1990's.
I seriously feel if they were to release it again it would outsell the original release. Out of all the songs that have been mentioned in previous reviews I didn't notice any of them to have included "Hallelujah In My Heart". To me this is the song that is the "secret gem" of the CD. Bluegrass, Country and a just a enough of pop to invite you to gather round, join in and sing along.
I think of her more often lately and wish there were a way I could help her through her recent struggles, but I haven't spoken to her since I moved eight years ago. Carlene, if you should ever read this, I want to say I know you're gonna come through this.

Bruce
Atlanta, GA

A piece of childhood.......2004-12-06

This was the first country album I ever owned (at age 9), and I remember I just about wore out the cassette. I don't remember all of the songs, but I particularly remember Unbreakable Heart, Sweet Meant to Be, Nowhere Train, Long Hard Fall and, most of all, Every Little Thing as being my favorites. Even as young as I was, I knew this much: The girl had talent. She deserved to be known so much better than she was back then. As for the music, eleven years later I still give it 5 stars. Now thats how much a masterpiece like this sticks in my memory.

masterful fusion of country, rock and pop.......2001-11-16

Little Love Letters provides a masterful blend of the country and rock influences Carter is well-known for along with an amazing pop sensibility. In terms of melody, harmony, energy, and heartfelt lyrics, this album is a winner. Also, it is the type of album that can really grow on you over time, as you better understand and connect with the soulful expression that Carlene Carter, Howie Epstein, Benmont Tench, and others bring to this beautiful work. Of many outstanding tracks, especially noteworthy is "World of Miracles," which includes the extraordinary lines "Anything is possible in this world of miracles / We can move mountains in this world of miracles" (resembling Matthew 17:20). As a whole, Little Love Letters sees a full range of happiness and sorrow, but in the end, it sees Love, Faith, and Hope triumph.

Average customer rating:

Hagen: Songs

Manufacturer: Arsis Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Love Songs: I Am Loved
Love Songs: Little Uneasy Song
Love Songs: Ah! Sun-Flower
Love Songs: Lost Love
Love Songs: Washing Her Hair
Love Songs: Requiem
Love Songs: The Satyr
Love Songs: Sonnet
Echo's Songs: Never Pain To Tell Thy Love
Echo's Songs: I Am Not Yours
Echo's Songs: A Dream Within A Dream
Echo's Songs: Echo's Song
Echo's Songs: I Am Rose
Echo's Songs: Lost
Echo's Songs: Why Did You Go
Echo's Songs: Since You Went Away
Echo's Songs: Thou Wouldst Be Loved
Echo's Songs: Look Down, Fair Moon
Echo's Songs: The Mild Mother
Dear Youth: The Bonnie Blue Flag
Dear Youth: I Stop Again
Dear Youth: The Picture Graved Into My Heart
Dear Youth: The Trouble Was Tom...
Dear Youth: The Lord Knows
Dear Youth: O, For Such A Dream
Dear Youth: Chrismas Night
Dear Youth: ...Silently Dispersing
Merrill Songs: A Downward Look
Merrill Songs: Body
Merrill Songs: The Instilling
Merrill Songs: On The Block: Mantel Clock
Merrill Songs: Vol. XLIV, No.3
Merrill Songs: On The Block: LAmp, Terracotta Base
Merrill Songs: Pledge
Merrill Songs: An Upward Look

Music Album:

Music Album