Charlie Carter has been an actor since he was a child. He has appeared in many successful productions including 90 Minutes, Hollyoaks, Chance Encounters and many more productions. He has worked in theater, TV, commercials and film. As if that is not enough, he is also an accomplished musician and brings to his music the qualities needed for acting – drama, emotion and soul.
Every Ounce of Love is Charlie Carter’s third release. It is a jazz swing/bossa nova studio recording of eight original tracks featuring Sid Gauld (Incognito, George Michael, Brand New heavies and more) on trumpet, vocalists Siubhan Harrison, Odette Adams and Frances Eva Lea (Thumper), Brazilian bossa nova guitarist Rafael Valim (Polkanova, After Hours), Will King on trombone and Charlie Heywood on electric jazz guitar. On piano, Hammond organ, drums, bass and percussion is Garry Meek (D.Reams), who also mixed the album at GMM audio in Crystal Palace. The impressive cover artwork reveals another string to this musician’s bow – it is by Charlie, too.
“This started out a couple of years ago as a four-track EP on the back of my last recording Nothing Short of Love, which was a 10-track album with influences of jazz,” Charlie told me, “and I wanted to go further in with a more wholesome jazz/swing sound. While rehearsing the songs to get studio ready, other stuff was just coming out. So, I ended up getting demos down for eight tracks and was so excited about what was developing I sold most of my worldly belongings to finance it. I wanted to get it out in time for the summer, as it’s got quite a summery sound – which, to me, jazz has in general. There’s a warm, summery feel to jazz/swing that I have always felt connected to.”
The title track for Every Ounce of Love opens the album and begins with a lovely piano line from Gary Meek before it settles into a swingy, gentle rhythm. Charlie Carter then tells us the story of finding love, and giving it your all. He has an engaging voice, with qualities which make it just this side of edgy. The arrangement is colorful, with some great trumpet and guitar lines, over which the vocals emphatically rise and fall.
“I Just Can’t Explain” is more sultry and features the lead vocals of Suibhan Harrison, who brings an emotive, effortless delivery. That’s not surprising, considering she has starred in many West End musical productions. The piano is light and easy on the ears, and the trumpet solo from Sid Gauld is well placed and beautifully delivered. “Something Changed” is sassy, with bossa beats and vocals with am equally beautiful but different quality from Frances Eva Lea. An accompanying accordion is provided by Gary Meek, who is proving himself something of a polymath when it comes to instruments. There is a lovely lilt right through this piece, which is full of movement. The band is tight as a drum.
“Decide” is a tale of adoration, sung with enthusiasm by Charlie Carter over a Latin-esque rhythm which mooches along under the cheekiness of the lyrics, with some great acoustic guitar input from Rafael Valim. “Diamonds and Vagabonds” features Odette Adams on vocals, and here is a bluesy take to this number with a slightly off-kilter rhythm. That slight awkwardness work in perfect contrast to Odette’s smokey, strong and smoothly sung vocals. The lyrics are clearly heard, and this is a darker number with a change of tempo, adding an engaging twist and a delicious trumpet solo.
“Wedding Bells are Gonna Chime” is swingy, brassy, with a trumpet opening and Charlie’s vocals smoothly delivered. The piano line is worth listening out for on this track, as there are some intriguing changes and altered rhythms, aided and abetted by the percussion. “Those Three Little Words” is gentle, smooth and rather lovely, a tale of the ups and downs of love, sung with tuneful emphasis from Charlie Carter. This track swings and is enjoyable from beginning to end, including the beautiful piano interlude before a rhythm change section which then reverts to the swing beat. “Turn Off the News” is simply gorgeous, a track about getting the balance of life right that makes for a thought-provoking ending to Every Ounce of Love.
This is not an album of quixotic changes or demonic delivery. Every Ounce of Love was written from the soul, sung from the heart and delivered with quality. The music comes together to give something enjoyable and engaging. The attention to detail is admirable, which makes it a great listen. It’s an album for the evening, maybe the quiet times and one to listen to many more times than once. After all, Charlie Carter did sell most of his worldly belongings to get the music out here.
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Daniel Carter, Patrick Holmes, Matthew Putman, Hilliard Greene + Federico Ughi – ‘Telepathic Mysteries Vol. 1’ (2020)
Daniel Carter, Matthew Shipp, William Parker, Gerald Cleaver – ‘Welcome Adventure! Vol. 1’ (2020)
Daniel Carter, Stelios Mihas, Irma Nejando, Federico Ughi – ‘Radical Invisibility’ (2019)
