Even though Cort Carpenter has already released roughly fifty songs, the album All In is in fact his debut one. I was curious about it and had a chance to listen before its release on 10th February 2023. Here are my thoughts.
Cort Carpenter – About The Artist
Cort Carpenter is a 36 year old artist, born in Washington State. He is releasing music since 2012 and already had some EP releases like Thoase Nights These Days (2013), On Deck (2014) or Changing Lanes (2016). His most successful songs, however, have been recently. His most popular listen is Me and the Moon (2021, 1.1m Spotify streams), but also the 2022 Somebody Tonight, which is featured in All In, had almost half a million listens on the streaming platform since its release in September 2022.
Cort Carpenter – All In – Track by Track
The ten song album lasts 32 minutes.
1. Dangerous
The first three minutes of the album belong to the track Dangerous. A song with a nice vibe. Cort Carpenter comes with a nice and warm voice, the backing guitars lead to the necessary power. Good opener.
2. Takes Its Time
The first notes of Takes Its Time feel very similar to the first track to me. Luckily, the second track develops its own style. A bit of mainstream, but this rather straight modern country is a good listen.
3. Missing A Girl
Despite this song has not (yet?) been chosen as a single release, it one of the best listens of All In to me. A nice arrangement with a melodic pre-chorus and a catching key phrase. Just gentle enough to be emotional – and sufficiently rhythmic that the song can make you move. Good one!
4. Raise One Up
Raise One Up starts with a darker, also more traditionally feeling country music style. I feel that this very groovy song is a nice contrast to the first three listen. To me, this song is another really deep experience.
5. Fade
Fade has a lot of elements, which would make it work perfectly on North American country radio. Thus, I am sure that it is also a nice fit to some playlists on the other side of the big blue water. Nice arrangement towards the chorus.
6. Get To The Bottom Of This
The sixth song is a bit slower. It does have some nice guitar presence, but overall it is not as present as other songs in here. The heart of the song is definitely the chorus, again.
7. Somebody Tonight
Compared to modern airplay-aiming country songs, Cort Carpenter tracks feel rather long. His most successful one of this album so far, Somebody Tonight, is, however, one of two tracks shorter than three minutes. I feel it is one of the best listens of this release. Very present, catching elements and nicely working with different layers of music.
8. Used To
The shortest song of the album is following right thereafter. The banjo-alike background is distracting me a bit too much from the vocals. Overall, I feel that the melodic arrangement is not working out too well. Nonetheless, a nice one.
9. See That Girl
The second last song is a typical modern country music track. Good write and nice storytelling. Overall, it does create a special or outstanding listen, but it is a song which gives you a good mood and definitely does not make you think about the skip button.
10. Music To My Tears
The album closes with a beautiful ballad. Take this one straight to your romantic songs list. Cort Carpenter just does great – love it!
Cort Carpenter – All In – Spotify
Here is the album on Spotify:
Cort Carpenter – All In – My View
All In is a good album. You might miss some special moments in here – but you won’t be disappointed as well.The album showcases the good talent of Cort Carpenter and allows us to have a certain showcase of his music. Definitely worth listening.
2023 Media Reviews (Albums)
Here are all my 2023-published Media Reviews covering albums (not EPs):

Rising Wings – Reach

Brent Cobb – Southern Star

Manntra – War of the Heathens

Thirty Seconds To Mars – It’s The End Of The World But It’s A Beautiful Day

Dan + Shay – Bigger Houses

Arstidir – Blik

Danko Jones – Electric Sounds

The Blackwhitecolorful – Brace for Impact

Low Cut Connie – Art Dealers

Allison Russell – The Returner

Durry – Suburban Legend

The Glorious Sons – Glory

Coffey Anderson – Tailgates and Heartbreaks

The Paper Kites – At The Roadhouse

Marduk – Memento Mori

Melanie Wiegmann & Carl Carlton – Glory of Love

Gregor McEwan – Going Solo

Adam Wendler – Living the Dream

Philipp Artmann – Guten Morgen schönes Leben

Alice Cooper – Road

Morgan Wade – Psychopath

Turnpike Troubadours – A Cat In The Rain

Dadi Freyr – I Made An Album

Tim McGraw – Standing Room Only

Paerish – You’re In Both Dreams (And You’re Scared)

Sleazy – Back on Track

TracieLynn – More Than a Bad Habit EP

Bobby Rush – All My Love For You

Madsen – Hollywood

William Fitzsimmons – Covers Vol. II

The Hives – The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons

Mo-Torres – Heute war alles Besser

Uncaved – Dogmatorraistes

Ludwig Wright – Turn of Tides or Where the Waves Come From

X-Perience – We Travel The World

Hanna Sikasa – Sequel

Bianca James – Bianca James

Skindred – Smile

Mammoth WVH – Mammoth II

Kool & the Gang – People Just Wanna Have Fun

Sasha – Toto und der Mann im Mond (music album)

Fury in the Slaughterhouse – Hope

Justine Blazer – Joy!

Somnuri – Desiderium

Cygnotic – Mortal Dreamers

Later Sons – Rise Up

Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway – City of Gold

Lori McKenna – 1988

Kezia Gill – Misfit

Michael Bolton – Spark of Light

Tom Astor – Wieder da!

Jim “Kimo” West – Of Wood and Spirit (American Guitar Stories)

Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real – Sticks and Stones

Sean Patrick McGraw – Hillbilly Hippie

1476 – In Exile

Annie Taylor – Inner Smile

Crown of Things – Louder Love

Sylvia Aimee – Identity EP

Lucinda Williams – Stories From A Rock N Roll Heart

Mental Cruelty – Zwielicht

Pascal Blenke – Gedankenspiele

Emma Steinbakken – Home

Green Labyrinth – Sequences

Lloyd Cole – On Pain

Ayron Jones – Chronicles Of The Kid

Hannah Aldridge – Dream of America

Son Volt – Day of the Doug

Saturnus – The Storm Within

Steve Lukather – Bridges

Deer Tick – Emotional Contracts

freekind. – Since Always and Forever

Tenhi – Valkama

Extreme – Six

Ray Alder – II

Milky Chance – Living In A Haze

Brittany Warthan – No Vacancy

Ron Pope – Inside Voices

Silbermond – Auf Auf

Tanya Tucker – Sweet Western Sound

Grenzenlos – AntiXtrem

Oryad – Sacred & Profane

Sören Vogelsang – Optimismus Prime

Palila – Mind My Mind

Samantha Fish & Jesse Dayton – Death Wish Blues

Brandy Clark – Brandy Clark

Marathonmann – Maniac

Yes – Mirror To The Sky

Moor – Heavy Heart

Anna Demetriou – More To This

Parker Millsap – Wilderness Within You

Indecent Behavior – Therapy In Melody

Andreas Diehlmann Band – Long Way To Go

Sebel – Der Boxer

Tino Z – Bluesman

Rodney Crowell – The Chicago Sessions

Enforced – War Remains

Philip Bradatsch – Philip Bradatsch

Storm Seeker – Nautic Force

Dave Hause – Drive It Like It’s Stolen

As Everything Unfolds – Ultraviolet

Kati von Schwerin – Welcome Back Home

Esther Rose – Safe To Run

Texas Hippie Coalition – The Name Lives On

Grand Design – Rawk

Emm Gryner – Business & Pleasure

The Wood Brothers – Heart is the Hero

Musa Dagh – No Future

North West – Hamburg

Vass / Katsionis – Cynical Silence

Zartbitter – Hier und Jetzt

Welshly Arms – Wasted Words & Bad Decisions

Overcoats – Winner

Beyond Frequencies – Me Megalomaniac

The Hold Steady – The Price of Progress

Wolkenfrei – Hotel Tropicana

Lordi – Screem Writers Guild

VIVA – Das ist die Wahrheit

Black Hawk – Soulkeeper

Pat Burgener – PAT The Album

Katie Melua – Love & Money

Sophie B. Hawkins – Free Myself

Sophia – Niemals Allein

Leony – Somewhere in Between

Night Demon – Outsider

Stephen Jay – understatement

Timesbold – Not Still Here

Ailbhe Reddy – Endless Affair

Bad Bones – Hasta El Final!

John Diva & The Rockets of Love – The Big Easy

Ripe – Bright Blues

Ane Brun – Portrayals

The Nude Party – Rides On

Brian Falduto – Gay Country

Mael & Jonas – Rocket Science

Suicide Silence – Remember… You Must Die

Wolfgang Petry – Stark wie wir

Lina – 24/1

Drayton Farley- Twenty on High

AnnenMayKantereit – Es ist Abend und wir sitzen bei mir

Helge Schneider – Torero

Endlevel – Weekend War

Steel Panther – On The Prowl

OH FYO! – Level 3: Discovery

Dierks Bentley – Gravel & Gold

Tanzwut – Silberne Hochzeit

Lucero – Should’ve Learned by Now

Drew Sycamore – Superfaith

Those Damn Crows – Inhale/Exhale

Jaimee Harris – Boomerang Town

P!nk – Trustfall

Ron Sexsmith – The Vivian Line

Malte Vief und Malte Viefs Kammer – Kammer III

Tennis – Pollen

You Me At Six – Truth Decay

The Legendary – Warlord

Simone Kopmajer – With Love

Chase Rice – I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go To Hell

Ian Fisher – Burnt Tongue

Donots – Heut ist ein guter Tag

Ricochets – Closer to the Light

The Rehats – Heart & Mind

Shania Twain – Queen of Me

Eamonn McCormack – Eamonn McCormack

Robert Forster – The Candle and the Flame

Dark Sarah – Attack of Orym

IUMA – Genug EP

Umme Block – State Of Limbo

Pristine – The Lines We Cross

Vic Allen – Some Place I’d Rather Be

Joe Henry – All The Eye Can See

Siv Jakobsen – Gardening

Laura Cox – Head Above Water

Alexander Liebe – Spielautomat

Keimzeit Akustik Quintett – Schon gar nicht Proust

Sonic Wildhearts – Get It On

Lukas Graham – 4 (The Pink Album)

Richard Lynch – Radio Friend

Black Star Riders – Wrong Side of Paradise

Ski Holiday – Ski Holadiy

Masha The Rich Man – Sheyne Ziere

Circa Waves – Never Going Under

Groenalund – #lovestorm

Joesef – Permanent Damage

Margo Price – Strays

Iggy Pop – Every Loser

Anti-Flag – Lies They Tell Our Children
Travel (Greater Toronto)
Here are all my travel postings related to Greater Toronto:

NHL Schedule 2023-24 released – Here are my suggested Trips

Union Pearson Express Toronto – The Airport Express Rail

The Historic District of Streetsville, Ontario (Pictured Story)

TownePlace Suites Mississauga-Airport Corporate Center

Flying With Porter Airlines from Toronto (YTZ) to Ottawa (YOW)

A Match of the Mississauga Steelheads at Paramount Fine Foods Centre

Delta Hotels by Marriott Toronto

Toronto Maple Leafs At Scotiabank Arena

Hilton Mississauga/Meadowvale

Air France / KLM Lounge Toronto Pearson (YYZ) Terminal 3

VIA Rail Business Class Train Ride from Ottawa to Toronto

Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ)

Condor Boeing 767 Business Class from Toronto (YYZ) to Frankfurt (FRA)

InterContinental Toronto Centre

Canada’s Borders Are Back Open – My 7th September 2021 Experience

Novotel Toronto Center (Hotel Review)

Hockey Hall of Fame

Casa Loma (Toronto)

Royal Ontario Museum

CN Tower and Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada

Bata Shoe Museum

Flying Air Canada Premium Rouge
