I’m not a country music fan, but over the years I have come to appreciate the work of Mary Chapin Carpenter. (Yes, she’s not really a country singer; but she’s not really a “folk singer” either.)

Her new album, Between Here and Gone, was released in late April (Here’s a link to the information at amazon.com.)

On May 6th, Mary Chapin Carpenter was featured on NPR’s Morning Edition, at Grand Central Station in New York, the subject of one of the songs in Between Here and Gone. She was inspired to write the song after hearing an interview with an iron worker on the first anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The man, one of the first at the scene after the towers fell, worked at Ground Zero for days afterward. The iron worker said that at the end of each shift, he felt impelled to go to the train station so the souls of the victims could follow him. It is a haunting song, beautifully sung and performed.

Many of the songs have reference to travel, a longing for home. Also check out “Good Night America” and the title track, “Between Here and Gone.” I recommend the whole album.