I’m actually really, really excited this song made the countdown. I thought it stood no chance because it is not that well-known of a Carbon Leaf song being an Amazon-exclusive bonus track of their 2009 album. Then votes started coming in and it got into the top 50. Then more votes came in and it kept climbing up. Before I knew it, it was the end of the countdown and somehow “Tip Toe” ended up at #22. 22! Well-known or not, I think it’s a really strong statement to just how good of a song this is. It’s not an overly complicated song either. In fact, it’s pretty straight-forward. It’s got a gentle, but ominous guitar rhythm that pretty much stays the same through the whole song except for some chord changes. As far as I can hear, there’s a lack of rhythm section here, but with the way the guitars play you might not even know it at first. Being a percussive rhythm to begin with and with some subtle notes in the background, they really do fill a drum & bass role which is just outstanding for guitars. There is a beautifully arranged string part in there as well that just backs-up that slightly ominous feeling more and more.

Lyrically, I think “Tip Toe” might be one Barry Privett’s finest works. I don’t often include whole stanzas, but let’s take a look:

“Tip toe, tip toe. Tip toe, tip toe out of your heart.
And I’m not that proud, I’m not that proud at all,
But I don’t know how to gently break your fall.
Forgive me I’m a coward and a stray,
And I don’t know how to boldly walk away.
Forgive me I’m a coward and a stray,
And I don’t know how to boldly walk away.
So I tip toe, tip toe out of your heart.”

There’s that ominous feeling from the music for you. It’s so poignant and something I’m sure most people have felt before. It’s not easy to break someone’s heart and it sure as hell takes courage that most people don’t have. The song captures it so perfectly that you almost have yourself feeling bad for the coward here instead of the woman who won’t get the closure she deserves. All in all, such an amazingly written song. Whether it was 50 or 1, I’m just beyond happy it made the list.

Song: Tip Toe
Album: Nothing Rhymes With Woman
Year: 2009

As I said, the song is an extremely laid-back folk song that almost reminds me of a folk song your grandfather teaches you over a bonfire in the backyard. As Barry croons, the drums pat away, and the guitars strum, I can almost smell the embers burning in front of my nose. It sure helps matters with the lyrics telling the story of a family gone awry, but it’s the melody and the strong vocal work that make this a strong addition to the Love Loss Hope Repeat album. Seeing it live really accentuates that old-timey, folk feeling of the song. Huddled around their Grand Ole Opry mic, they gather around with the washboard in tow for the percussion and sing away like it’s 1940 and you’re waiting for the radio broadcast that night. Oh, the fire has to be there too.

I’ll say that Love Loss Hope Repeat is not one of my favorite Carbon Leaf albums. It’s got a lot going on for it, but doesn’t seem as cohesive as their other great albums like Echo Echo, Nothing Rhymes With Woman, Indian Summer, and even Shadows In The Banquet Hall. It’s a band that seems to be heading in different directions and they don’t know what that direction is quite yet. In my opinion, the album has a lot of songs that don’t quite live up to their potential, but has others that really stand out in comparison. “Block Of Wood” is one of those very strong songs that I can’t help but nod my head along to as the drum beat rolls on. Ultimately though, I can’t be too harsh on Love Loss Hope Repeat. It does contain what I believe to be the finest Carbon Leaf song out there. More on that later though…

Song: Block Of Wood
Album: Love Loss Hope Repeat
Year: 2006

Now that’s a guitar hook. How can we talk about “Shine” and not mention that guitar hook…or that guitar statement rather? Of course, it wouldn’t be Carbon Leaf without a cool little folk rhtyhm to fill in the space between. I know I’m just repeating the same stuff over and over again by this point, but the guitar work in Carbon Leaf is absolutely ridiculous and this song is no excuse. I would like to say that that’s not my favorite part of the song though. The vocal work, especially the backing & call-and-response, is just an immense amount of fun.

Seriously, what happened to call-and-response singing? I know it’s Beatle-esque and sometimes outdated, but I’d be hard pressed to find many modern songs better at it than this. Of course, who wants wooing call-and-response lyrics? Shout it! Shout it like it means something! Like I said, the vocals in this song are ridiculous and the lyrics really help it get there. “I’d like to change the world/it’s easier than changing me.” That’s honesty right there and with the way it’s sung, makes it one of the more memorable Carbon Leaf lines around. I really don’t have much else to say. Listen to the first 30 seconds and you’ll see what we’re all talking about with the song.

Song: Shine
Album: Echo Echo
Year: 2001

There are so many simple things about this song that make it great. First let’s talk about the obvious: the drums! All he is doing them is over and over again as the verse progresses, but Jesus Tap-Dancing Christ if it isn’t enough to make you stop and pay attention. Of course, the drum work through the chorus is fine too, but there are very few simple things that musicians can do that really capture your undivided attention as well as really make a song. As the guitar strums along and the steel guitar wails in the background, you just wait for that drum to kick in and give everything that much more weight, that much more importance. God, I could never be a drummer. Every song would be about doing as little as possible to see what I could get the audience to feel…and I’d fail….worse than Creed.

The guitar work is excellent in this song as well with a perfectly fit electric solo, the main acoustic melody, and how the steel guitar really echoes the sentiments of the narrator. And the lyrics. Remember how I said Barry Privett writes some of the best one-line lyrics around. Well, let’s piggy-back and just commend how he can open a song with such a powerful line. He’s done it a lot already. “This Is My Song, Toy Soldiers, Follow The Lady;” there’s so many more. This is just one of those great opening lines…or opening statements. “I need to feel redeemed.” No wonder the drums kick in so boisterously. I’ll end by saying this is one of those Carbon Leaf songs you really need to see live to experience. The drums & the steel guitar are all enhanced ten-fold by the atmosphere and Barry always delivers on this song. Always, always.

Song: Under The Wire
Album: Love Loss Hope Repeat
Year: 2006

Surprise or not, the song does hold a spot in my heart and is a track I look forward to Indian Summer. As I infer it, the narrator sings about using music to cure his depression as love is lost yet again. Love lost or not, who hasn’t used music to cure whatever funky mood they’re in? Whether it’s blaring The Clash when you don’t feel like going to work or playing a family one’s favorite tunes after they pass, it really is going to cure your ailing condition. With every song I learn the words to, with every album I quickly digest, and with every new band I obsess over, I get closer to knowing that laughter isn’t the best medicine. Music is. Of course, you could blare some Lonely Island and get the best of both worlds, huh?

This song really nails that sentiment though and it sure helps with the music going around the words. There’s a lot going around in here actually. At one point, I think I counted four guitar parts. The mandolin melody, a strumming acoustic guitar, a sweeping distorted guitar, and what sounded like a talk box in the background. I turned up the song and it’s actually a faint sweeping echo of the vocals that give it a cool old-timey radio effect. It’s so subtle that I don’t think I ever noticed it until I stopped to think about what was really going on in the song. Putting this much in one song is sure to distract you from whatever is bothering you too especially when you find a cool hidden thing like that effect. Surprise entry or not, the song really hits it out of the park.

Song: When I’m Alone
Album: Indian Summer
Year: 2004

Carbon Leaf does some amazing cover songs. Their version of “Bron-Y-Aur Stomp” is pretty amazing, their “Sweet Emotion” is as rocking as Aerosmith, and my jaw hit the ground the first time I ever heard them do “Dear Prudence.” But Carbon Leaf really shines when they cover Irish folk tunes. That and the whole Echo Echo album is the exact reason why people resonate the Irish rock band with Carbon Leaf so well, even though Carbon Leaf’s just as much a straight rock band as they are an Irish band. “Big Strong Man” & “Rocky Road To Dublin” are two such tunes that Carbon Leaf really nails and really gets the crowd behind even if they’ve never heard it before. Trust me; I’ve seen it happen with “Rocky Road To Dublin” and a group of six drunk frat boys who were counting off by the end. Those two aside though, “Mary Mac” is not only their signature folk song to cover, but has become a song closely associated with Carbon Leaf for the better part of a decade.

Sure, there’s “The Boxer” and “Life Less Ordinary” for the casual fans, but “Mary Mac” has to be considered right up there with them. In fact, when Carbon Leaf performed a benefit concert for my high school back in the day (and released a CD for it…awesome!), they ended that show with “Mary Mac.” Another band, Great Big Sea, covers the song as well, but let’s be honest, it’s nowhere the quality of Carbon Leaf. The only thing they have over it would be the violin, but Carbon Leaf has to be the best version around. Barry sings it clearly no matter how fast he sings it and with the same quality tone as the first verse. The band picks the tempo up each verse instead of saving it all up for the end like other versions. The instrumental break is spot on and the main riff really hits you strongly. Like I said, Carbon Leaf has the best version of this possible and it’s no wonder why it’s number 29 here. In fact, some people may complain it’s too low of a showing for such a great tune.

Song: Mary Mac
Album: Echo Echo
Year: 2001

I’ve mentioned so far that I think Indian Summer is probably the perfect album to put on shuffle for a party outside in July. “Raise The Roof” is that song that caps off the party, but “Grey Sky Eyes” should be that song for dusk. Not only for the imagery of grey skies as the night time falls on the sun, but the song perfectly sums up that dusk feeling. The party starts to wind down, but there’s still some life to have and stories to be made. As the sun falls, most parties/cookouts/shindigs do take on a different feeling and “Grey Sky Eyes” is that perfect transition slowing things doing considerably but not enough to kill the buzz. Doing this countdown has really made me just want to host a cookout so I can play this album and try out theory. With it being 65 in January, I might be able to do it this weekend!

I’ve talked a lot about the guitar work in Carbon Leaf and the band being master songwriters. Well, this song is clearly no exception. The main guitar riff is as catchy and strong as anything you hear on the radio today. Really it’s just another notch in Carbon Leaf’s ever-growing belt of great guitar rhythms/melodies/riffs/fills/et cetera. So many guitar parts to love from the band and I really doubt you could have the conversation without mentioning the beautiful riff here. Lyrically, the song has those lyrics that just stay with you hours after you stop listening to the song. “That my grey sky eyes neither rain nor they glow, now you know.” I can’t even read that without singing it in my head. With the guitar riff following it of course.

Song: Grey Sky Eyes
Album: Indian Summer
Year: 2004