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Love Is an Art

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Love Is an Art is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton, released in the US on March 27, 2020 through Dine Alone Records.[3] It is the follow-up to Carlton's 2015 album Liberman and marks her second studio album release since signing with Dine Alone Records.[4]

Love Is An Art
Album cover features black background with illustration of a red gloved hand pulling a tiger's tail with the words Love Is an Art below and Vanessa Carlton's name above in yellow serif font with all caps
Studio album by
Vanessa Carlton
ReleasedMarch 27, 2020
StudioTarbox Road Studios, Cassadaga, NY
Length36:06
LabelDine Alone Records
ProducerDave Fridmann
Vanessa Carlton chronology
Liberman
(2015) 		Love Is An Art
(2020)
Singles from Love Is an Art
  1. "Only Way to Love"
    Released: February 13, 2020[1]
  2. "Miner's Canary"
    Released: February 21, 2020[2]

Background and writing

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After touring together for Carlton's 2015 album, Liberman, Carlton and Tristen Gaspadarek began co-writing songs for Love Is an Art in Nashville in 2018. The two were neighbors in East Nashville and met up to write three days a week in three-hour sessions.[5] Carlton noted she'd never done co-writing and "this back-and-forth with a partner. It was so cool, because when you work with great artists, they become kind of mirrors. So you are really forced to expose more of yourself and bring a lot more to the table than you maybe would have asked of yourself if you were working by yourself."[5] The album delves into "human attachments and the relationship with the inner self."[6] The songs touched on issues of toxic relationships, motherhood, and love.[5]

Carlton noted Erich Fromm's The Art of Loving for its "exploration of love" and Michael Pollan's How to Change Your Mind as sources of inspiration for the album.[7] She also noted songs by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Vashti Bunyan, Les Paul and Mary Ford, Philip Glass, Bill Withers, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Mercury Rev, The Stranglers, and PJ Harvey as inspiration.[8]

Carlton emailed unsolicited demos to Dave Fridmann, a producer known for his work with Sleater-Kinney, The Flaming Lips, and MGMT.[5][9]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [10]
Pitchfork7.0[11]
American Songwriter3.5[7]
Riff MagazinePositive[12]
Marie ClairePositive[13]

Love Is an Art received largely positive reviews from music critics. Pete Tosiello of Pitchfork wrote, "while she’s scaled back on her meticulous string arrangements, she fills her songs with winding asides and interludes, confessionals which build to rapturous climaxes and end with stray bars or abandoned verses."[11] American Songwriter noted that Carlton, "exhibits more experimental and retrospective songwriting on the record, one that offers an escape into dream pop and otherwise lulling music."[7] Stephen Thomas Erlewine for AllMusic wrote, "Her songs are insinuating, not grabbing, slowly revealing their contours through the delicately interlocked keyboards. It may take time for the songs to reveal themselves, but many build to a cathartic crescendo, like the cascade of volume that closes "Future Pain" or the pulse that pushes "The Only Way to Love" to its conclusion."[10]

Track listing

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Adapted from AllMusic and the album's liner notes.

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."I Can't Stay the Same"
Fridmann3:43
2."Companion Star"
  • Carlton
  • Gaspadarek[15]
Fridmann2:43
3."I Know You Don't Mean It"
  • Carlton
  • Gaspaderek[16]
Fridmann4:27
4."Die, Dinosaur"
  • Carlton
  • Gaspaderek[17]
Fridmann3:04
5."Love Is an Art"
  • Carlton
  • Gaspaderek[18]
Fridmann4:06
6."Future Pain"
  • Carlton
  • Gaspaderek[19]
Fridmann3:05
7."Back to Life"
  • Carlton
  • Gaspaderek[20]
Fridmann2:32
8."Patience"
  • Carlton
  • Gaspaderek[21]
Fridmann1:16
9."The Only Way to Love"
  • Carlton
  • Gaspaderek[22]
Fridmann4:08
10."Salesman"
  • Carlton
  • Gaspaderek[23]
Fridmann3:54
11."Miner's Canary"
  • Carlton
  • Gaspadarek[24]
Fridmann3:08
Total length:36:06
Deluxe edition bonus tracks[3]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."Break to Save"
  • Gaspadarek
  • Carlton
5:41
13."I Know You Don't Mean It (Demo)"
  • Gaspadarek
  • Carlton
4:01

Personnel

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Credits adapted from AllMusic[25]

Musicians

  • Vanessa Carlton – piano, vocals, Wurlitzer, Rhodes piano, oscillator
  • Tristen Gaspadarek – vocals
  • Dave Fridmann – Bass, drum programming, drums, horn arrangements, keyboards, organ, programming, synthesizer, synthesizer bass
  • John J. McCauley III – guitar
  • Adam Landry – acoustic guitar
  • Patrick Hallahan – drums, percussion, tympanon
  • Skye Steele – keyboards, synthesizer, violin
  • Olivia Davie – french horn
  • Dan Infranco – french horn
  • Jon Fridmann – trombone
  • Chris Ryan – cello

Technical

Charts

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Chart (2020) Peak position
US Top Current Album Sales (Billboard)[26] 76


Release history

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List of release dates, showing region, format(s), label and reference
Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
United States March 27, 2020
  • CD
  • digital download
  • vinyl
 Dine Alone Records [27]
United States March 27, 2022
Dine Alone Records [28]

References

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  1. ^ "Vanessa Carlton 'Lets Go of Fear' Through Passionate Dance in New Video: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  2. ^ "Vanessa Carlton Premieres New Single "Miner's Canary"". Dine Alone Records. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Love Is an Art – Dine Alone Records". Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  4. ^ "Vanessa Carlton". Dine Alone. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d McKenna, Britney (March 26, 2020). "Vanessa Carlton and Writing Partner Tristen Dig Into New Emotional Territory". Nashville Scene. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  6. ^ "Vanessa Carlton Releases Deluxe Edition of 'Love Is an Art'". Broadway World. March 30, 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Bennett, Macie. "Vanessa Carlton Experiments With New Ideas on 'Love Is an Art'". American Songwriter. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  8. ^ Weatherby, Taylor (March 24, 2020). "Vanessa Carlton Reveals Songs That Inspired Her New Album 'Love Is an Art': Takeover Tuesday Playlist". Billboard. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  9. ^ "Dave Fridmann". All Music. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  10. ^ a b "Love Is an Art – Vanessa Carlton". All Music. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  11. ^ a b "Love Is an Art – Vanessa Carlton". Pitchfork. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  12. ^ DeWald, Mike. "Album Review: Vanessa Carlton explores relational complexities on 'Love Is an Art"". Riff Magazine. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  13. ^ "Vanessa Carlton Lives in the Present (Even If You're Stuck in the Past)". Marie Claire. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  14. ^ "I Can't Stay the Same". BMI. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  15. ^ "Companion Star". BMI. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  16. ^ "I Know You Don't Really Mean It". BMI. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  17. ^ "Die Dinosaur". BMI. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  18. ^ "Love Is an Art". BMI. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  19. ^ "Love Is an Art". BMI. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  20. ^ "Back to Life". BMI. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  21. ^ "Patience". BMI. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  22. ^ "Only Way to Love". BMI. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  23. ^ "Salesman". BMI. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  24. ^ "Miner's Canary". BMI. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  25. ^ "Love Is an Art – Vanessa Carlton – Credits – AllMusic". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  26. ^ "Vanessa Carlton | Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  27. ^ "Love Is an Art – Releases". All Music. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  28. ^ "Vanessa Carlton – Love Is an Art Deluxe". Discogs.com. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
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