It has become a bit of a cliché for when an artist decides that to reset themselves, they must go “back to basics.” On Vanessa Carlton’s new album, Liberman, she strove for a minimalist design and it has had the surprising result of crafting the best songs of her career. They’re not so much basic as they are raw and honest.
Carlton shot to stardom in 2002 with a song she wrote when she was 16, “A Thousand Miles,” which has defined her career ever since, for better or worse. Like any pop star who experiences that kind of early success, she struggled to follow it up for some time. With Liberman, her fifth album, she sets out to escape, and to let her listeners do the same.
The Charlatan spoke with her about Liberman (named after her late grandfather), contemporary music journalism, Stevie Nicks, and how she feels now about “A Thousand Miles.”
Tell me about where your head was at when you sat down to write this album.
The first song I wrote for the album was “Unlock the Lock.” The concept for that—which is really the concept for the record—came to me when I was at a ranch in Tucson, Arizona in 2012, which was an incredible landscape so I’m not really surprised that it happened there.
The songwriting is very bare, so when you hear some hand claps, it’s like, “Holy shit, what’s that?” Were you hoping to accentuate the rawness of the songs with the production?
Yeah, a lot of work went into the album. I think it’s a strength when you don’t hear the work, you just hear the results. It’s just built into our instinct of what sounded great coming out of the speakers. The only rule we followed was, do we love this sound? We didn’t have any radio pressure, label pressure. We wanted it to sound spotless and really beautiful, that was it.
There’s a sense of earnestness, as well, with the direct lyrics. Is this record the real Vanessa?
I think there’s something pretty revealing about the record. Philosophically it’s rooted in how I think about all these different things, and in that sense it is personal. But at the same time, I wanted it to feel like the songs were messages, not stories from inside.
Tell me how [the song “Operator”] came about.
That was a leftover demo from Rabbits on the Run that we felt was a really cool idea, but I was out of time on that record. Then I found that demo when we were almost finished with Liberman and I sent it to my manager who was just like, “What is that? You need to finish it.” So I started working with [producer] Adam Landry in Nashville, and I loved linking the record back with the city. And Adam’s amazing, he’s much more raw as a producer, very rock ‘n’ roll, but I had a very set aesthetic with this record and I wanted it to be cohesive, and I thought he was great about getting the sound I wanted for the album.
Another theme, I think, is acceptance, and this attitude of taking everything in stride. What was the motivation for that?
I think peace and acceptance are absolutely big themes on the record. The way our brain works, it’s always moving like a pendulum, but we can direct it and push it toward the light. I think we can get better and better at handling the strife in our lives, and if we push ourselves to work through it and see the good in it, we’re happier people.
So have you played in Ottawa before?
I don’t think so, but I’m playing a lot more in Canada, especially since signing to a Canadian label [Dine Alone Records]. I’m really excited to play there.
As someone who dealt with this huge success early in her career, how do you deal with expectations, and how has that changed over time?
I have to say, I find that people have been very receptive of me evolving and my newer work. That song was such a long time ago and so much has changed, and the fact that people are interested in what’s going on now is really cool.
How do you feel now about “A Thousand Miles?”
I feel good about it. It’s definitely been a challenging situation on many levels. I wrote that song when I was 16 years old, and I’m 35 now. It has totally taken on a life of its own, and I treat it like it’s its own thing. I stand beside it, and meanwhile I do my thing. It’s just one song of many that I’ve written, you know? I had to ask myself, does everything need to be on that level to be a success? Obviously not. Am I expected to write like that? Maybe, but you’d go crazy if you try to do that. I’ve moved on, and it’s just a song I play now. The song is frozen in time and everything else moves forward. I think the best approach is pretending it didn’t happen. You can’t let it overshadow the rest of your work.
Okay. Do I have your blessing to get drunk and sing it at karaoke this weekend?
Of course. Do I make a dollar? I hope so.
What question are you tired of being asked in interviews?
The only thing I get tired of is when writers are super lazy. Music journalism in general is a dying art. It has been really great to see the reception to this album—people saying it’s okay for a pop star to evolve. But what bothers me is people asking, “So how is this album different from the last one?” Just the dumbest question, and it’s having the artist do the work for you. It’s nice to read a well-written review when it happens. Be positive or negative—all I ask is that you do your homework and know what you’re talking about.
What’s the best thing about your friend Stevie Nicks you can tell me?
She’s the master of making the most comfortable bed, the most amazing sheets and mattress and pillows. It’s the most incredible bed I have ever slept in, and that’s a feat.
What’s your favourite movie?
The Money Pit or Waiting for Guffman. Recently, It Follows. I want to score that guy’s next film.
Carlton will perform at Mavericks on Nov. 21.
