Description
Todd Carter’s eclectic interests allowed him take another tangent or two. He traveled, he taught. And he also made an album, 2013’s Songs for a Traveler, that featured great songs from our country’s heartland, dating back to 1850 and moving up as far as 1950. Then, after producing the artists Bernardo Palombo and French artist, Leopold, Carter immersed himself in the songbooks of Country greats, Townes Van Zandt, Merle Haggard and Ray Price. And then the boy knew it was time to put together Lead me to the Water. This remarkable album is where Carter’s various influences cohere into a consistent, kickass collection. From the jump you know you’re hearing something special. And that’s because of the exquisite support from a bunch of first-rate players. Whether it’s Andy Hess (Gov’t Mule, Black Crowes) grooving on the bass, Diego Voglino (Marshall Crenshaw) holding it down on the drums, Steve Elliott (Shooter Jennings) lending snaky guitar lines or Sasha Dobson (Norah Jones), cooing background vocals, ‘Water’ has a full screen, spacious, wide-open sound. And then there are the songs. From the first moments of the leadoff track “Lead Me To The Water,” which immediately haunts the listener with its crying steel guitar, to the precisely-picked acoustic gem, “Where Did You Go” to the contentious “Bone To Pick,’ this album by The Looking has its roots not just in Country and Indie-Rock, but immaculate ’70s singer-songwriter classics by Jackson Browne and JD Souther.
