Room With a View (CD - 2001)

Personnel includes: Carolyn Dawn Johnson (vocals, acoustic guitar); Paul Worley (12-string acoustic guitar, bass); Biff Watson, Curtis Ryle (acoustic guitar); Jonathan Yudkin (fiddle); Timothy J. Lauer (accordion); Steve Nathan (piano, keyboards); Glenn Worf (bass); Greg Morrow (drums); Terry McMillan (percussion); Martina McBride, Kim Carnes (background vocals).

Producers: Paul Worley, Carolyn Dawn Johnson.

Recorded at The Money Pit, Seventeen Grand, Sound Stage Studios's Groove Room, and Loud Recording, Nashville, Tennessee.

Personnel: Carolyn Dawn Johnson (acoustic guitar); Paul Worley (acoustic guitar, acoustic 12-string guitar); Al Anderson, Steve Mandile (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Biff Watson (acoustic guitar, bouzouki); Curt Ryle, B. James Lowry (acoustic guitar); John Jorgenson (acoustic 12-string guitar, electric guitar); Dann Huff, J.T. Corenflos (electric guitar); Paul Franklin (steel guitar); Dan Dugmore (dobro); Marty Stuart, Mary Stuart (mandolin); Jonathan Yudkin (fiddle); John Hobbs (piano, keyboards, synthesizer); Steve Nathan (piano, keyboards); Greg Morrow (drums, percussion); Matt Chamberlain (drums); Terry McMillan (percussion); Steve Brewster (drum programming).

Audio Mixer: Clarke Schleicher.

Recording information: Loud Recording, Nashville, TN; Money Pit, Nashville, TN; Seveteen Grand, Nashville, TN; Sound Stage Studio's Groove Room, Nashville, TN; Steventeen Grand, Nashville, TN; The Money Pit, Nashville, TN.

Photographer: Russ Harrington.

Most newcomers are happy just to be singing on their first albums, but Carolyn Dawn Johnson does more than sing -- she co-produced and wrote or co-wrote all 11 of the album's potent songs. Lyrics like "I always wanted to get married, and I thought you were the one, but you never, ever asked me and I was tired of hangin' on" (in the loneliness of "Georgia") or "I could keep pointin' fingers, I could stay mad as hell, just let my anger linger, but as far as I can tell, I've just got to let it go" (in the emotional struggle of "I'll Think of You That Way") are convincingly telling as to why she's found applaudable success writing songs for the likes of Jo Dee Messina ("Downtime") and Chely Wright ("Single White Female"). Room With a View is a praiseworthy first effort that takes a hard-hitting, realistic look at all stages of a love relationship, and Johnson brings it to life with her dead-on vocals and pursuit of emotional triumph. ~ Maria Konicki Dinoia

Though ROOM WITH A VIEW is Alberta, Canada native Carolyn Dawn Johnson's debut album, she's no neophyte--she was previously a songwriter to such country luminaries as Chely Wright, for whom she wrote a Number One hit, "Single White Female," Jo Dee Messina, Pam Tillis, and Kathy Mattea. ROOM WITH A VIEW is an outpouring of smart, infectious songs about relationships, both personal and familial, in as many aspects as you could imagine, and more besides.

Kicking off with the hit single "Georgia," with its soaring, hopeful chorus, Johnson takes us on a whirlwind ride through the twists and turns of breakups, old flames remarrying ("Just Another Girl"), unspoken love ("Complicated"), and the heartbreaking "Masterpiece," a song based on the true story of a family tragedy. Throughout, Johnson makes the soul-baring not only palatable but downright catchy, aided by such Nashville luminaries as Kim Carnes, she of "Bette Davis Eyes" fame, and ex-NRBQ guitarist Al Anderson, who assist in penning the album's most rocking cut, the driving "Tumble and Roll." minimize