Party Doll & Other Favorites - Carpenter, Mary Chapin (Cassette 1999)

I'm a long-time Mary Chapin Carpenter fan, but I have to say that I was disappointed with her latest release. Most of the songs on "Party Doll..." have appeared on previous MCC albums, so an effort has been made to compensate for the older material by including live versions of such MCC staples as "Down at the Twist and Shout." The quality of the live versions is fairly poor, and the handful of new songs on "Party Doll" did nothing for me. MCC is a great talent, as evidenced on the moving "This Shirt" and the achingly beautiful slowed-down version of "Quitting Time." But does the world really need another album that includes "I Feel Lucky," MCC's grating chart-topping smash? Rather than plunking down 15 bucks for "Party Doll...", stick with some of MCC's previous albums: the splendid "Come On Come On" or the enjoyable "Stones in the Road."