Newcomer's ninth just like her rest

Bloomington native Carrie Newcomer's ninth album, The Gathering of Spirits, follows the pattern of her previous work. She has a dedicated and loyal following among her fans, but is still looking for the right catalyst to help her break into the mainstream. The Gathering of Spirits is a solid attempt at bringing in new fans, but it is still too focused in the folk rock genre to succeed. There are a few songs on the disc that cross-over into the mainstream listening audience, even forcing me to hum along, but these tunes are a minority.\nThe best songs on the album are those that incorporate different flavors than expected. The occasional violin in the title track and "There and Back" lends a distinct flair to the tracks, and often lifts the tempo enough for a nice change of pace from the traditional "guitar only" sound on the disc.\nOn the tracks where the additional violin, cello, etc., are not so obvious, the CD tends to run together if listened to at one sitting. There are too many melancholy or middle of the road songs in order, and an up-tempo break is few and far between.\nNewcomer's songwriting focuses on the overlooked parts of life, and often lends them a certain special attraction. Yet, some of these "little moments" seem trivial to a listener who does not share in her beliefs about doing the laundry ("Holy as a Day is Spent") and growing old ("Silver"). In fact, the songwriting on "Silver" is over the top, almost ridiculous just to keep the rhyme scheme. "Will you love me / when I babble / and let me / win at Scrabble?" Newcomer's lyrics are obviously important, but basic and blasé lines ruin whatever poetry she attempts. Much of her content is about the plight of being a woman, which is captivating at first, but later becomes repetitive to a male ear. \nNewcomer's latest offering is sure to delight her fans, but, to the uninitiated, there is not much to differentiate her from a field already flooded with similar sounding female singer-songwriters.